The Eye of Heaven
by pierre15208
Summary: Belldandy's hiding a secret from Keiichi.  What could it be?  And why is a senior official from Heaven visiting Hild?  And Lind finally takes a vacation...at Tarikihongan Temple.  Another Goddess running amok in Nekomi City!
1. Part 1

**The Eye of Heaven**

**August 18, 2010**

**by Pierre R. Wheaton**

**Welcome to the third and maybe the final installment of this series of fan fiction pieces based on Kosuke Fujishima's "Oh, My Goddess" franchise. A lot of questions surround this particular piece. Will this be the final installment that will complete the story started in "The Song of the Goddesses," and nurtured in "The Test of a God?" or will it merely serve as another intermediary step in order to advance the story along? At this point, I don't even know. **

"**Test" ended with a secret that Belldandy was hiding from Keiichi. What is that secret? I don't even know yet. (Get the recurring theme here?) It will be revealed eventually when I figure out what it is. Like the past two pieces, "Eye" as it will be further known, will be written as it comes from my head with little prior preparation. I do not write lots of notes, and the research I do comes from the web and the copies of the manga, novel, and anime that I possess. I write when the spirit moves me and puts an idea in my head that won't leave until I put it in writing. Not exactly the most professional way of telling a story, but it works for me.**

**At this moment, I have no clue as to how this story will go, but judging by the positive feedback that I have received from "Song" and "Test", I think that it will turn out as well, if not better, than those two. **

**All the usual disclaimers apply. **_**(This story should not be considered part of OMG canon, the characters are the property of Fujishima-sensei, but the narration is mine, and that the AMG fanboys will rip it to shreds, although I am surprised that I have not gotten much negative criticism from the Belldandyverse, of which I do count myself a citizen.)**_

**There will be a few surprises that will pop up in this piece, but I don't know what they are and won't know until they choose to reveal themselves. So don't ask.**

**But I will reveal that this piece will be heavily based in Heaven and for all you Lind fans, she plays a prominent role. More than Urd and Skuld, but of course, not nearly as much as Belldandy.**

**That being said, please enjoy and offer constructive criticism where and when needed. This is a direct sequel, so you'll have to read both "Song and "Test" to get the full gist of the story. Both stories are listed on the Tea Room blog at ****.com**

Chapter 1

Marller's Headquarters (An old condemned building on the edge of Nekomi City)

Set immediately after the events of the epilogue of "The Test of a God."

Marller stared at the video screen that showed her boss, Hild, the Daimaikaicho, or the head of the demonic realm standing next to the strange visitor wearing the livery of the Heavenly Council.

She didn't know what to make of the situation she was seeing before her eyes. Was she being replaced by this stranger? Did Hild lose confidence in her, the self-professed number one demon in the Demonic Realm? What could this interloper do that she couldn't?

It was starting to anger Marller, and she was wondering how to get back into her boss's good books. She tried to think of a suitably devilish scheme that could put Baldur back into his place and also make Hild proud of her, but Marller's record of success against Gods and Goddesses wasn't very good these days and the last thing she needed was to try and pull something against the silver haired God only to have it backfire in front of her boss. She was so preoccupied with all the potential scenarios racing through her mind that she didn't hear Hild practically screaming at her to pay attention.

"Marller!" Hild said in a deep voice that rumbled like thunder. "If you don't get your head out of what ever orifice you've got it stuck in right now, your next assignment will be housebreaking familiars! Listen up!"

The paranoid demon snapped out of her reverie and quickly settled herself down. She prostrated herself before the screen and mumbled "Yes, Lady Hild! I hear and obey!"

Hild continued to glare with sheer disdain at her underling for what seemed like an eternity, shook her head, and then turned to Baldur. "Forgive my assistant. Despite her being a Demon First Class, she can sometimes be as dense as a block of uranium. Marller here is a prime example of how the demonic advancement system is in severe need of overhaul. She has her uses, but they pale in comparison to her incompetence."

Baldur put a hand on Hild's wrist, and said in an oily voice. "I understand, Hild. Good help is SO hard to find these days. Some of the deities I have to put up with in Heaven would make Marller look like a scholar."

Marller put aside the obvious jabs at her abilities and spoke timidly, "If I may Lady Hild, I must ask why Baldur is here? Is he to replace me as your prime assistant?"

Hild broke the tension between the three with a hearty laugh. "Replace you?" she sniggered. "You must be kidding! Marller, there's not a demon in this realm that has succeeded in being completely incompetent as well as utterly entertaining at the same time. You're one of a kind, my dear. Buffoonery and hilarity in one unforgettable package." With that statement, Hild and Baldur both erupted into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Marller figured that she was being made fun of, but she couldn't quite tell. Eventually both of them regained their serious demeanor and Hild continued,

"No, Marller. Baldur will serve a much more serious and important role to us.

He is going to be our inside man in Heaven. His position on the Heavenly Council will give us access to Heaven's most important secrets." Hild moved to one side and put her hand on Baldur's shoulder. "He has already paid dividends far in excess of what we've been able to achieve before. How do you think that Keiichi Morisato was able to sit for the First Class God Exam despite only being made a God a month before, and despite not having a clue about what First Class Powers are about? Try to keep up Marller, as Baldur explains."

Baldur stepped away from Hild, straightened his robes, and looked into the screen. Marller could feel the God's eyes boring deep into her soul and try as she might, she could not break the stare that Baldur placed upon her. "Marller." He said with a voice that indicated that he was very full of himself. "You see, as I told Hild here, I'm a senior member of the Heavenly Council. I am also the head of the Department of Examinations, the agency that controls the advancement of Gods and Goddesses in Heaven. Every deity in Heaven that sits for an advancement exam has to meet with my approval before doing so.

"Potential examinees are selected either by approval of the Heavenly Council, or by making application through the Department. Either way, I am the one who decides whether they sit for exams, whether they pass or fail, and what licenses they are eligible for. Morisato was petitioned for examination by Hild with, of course, my help.

"Hild, of course, being a demon, could not put a God up for consideration, so she asked me to lend my influence on the matter which I was only so happy to provide." Baldur cleared his throat, brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his robes and continued,

"I placed his name into consideration before the council. And it was I who changed the exam protocol that allowed Hild to pose her challenge. There was much arguing and bickering, pro and con. The vote was straight down the middle. Half the board supported the measure and half were against it. As it was an issue that had to deal with my department, I cast the tie-breaking vote to allow the exam to go forth.

"Those in favor quoted the relationship that Morisato formed with Belldandy as sufficient reason for allowing him to proceed. The council tends to look very highly on Belldandy as one of the shining stars in Heaven. And that if Belldandy was enamored enough of Keiichi to maintain the level of devotion and love towards him that she has, that Morisato must have the properties that would make a fine First Class god.

"Those against felt that among other things, that Morisato was not ready nor should have been considered eligible to take the exam. Some think that he hasn't been a God for enough time, while others think that a human transformed into a God didn't have the abilities to take on First Class Powers. Obviously, those points have been made moot because Morisato did eventually pass his exam."

Marller considered all that she was told and to her it did make sense. She asked, "So Lady Hild, why did you request that Morisato's name be placed into consideration in the first place?"

Hild said, "Because, if the Council could go ahead with authorizing the exam, then I could interfere and send those Goddesses packing, and please don't remind me about how that turned out. The fact that Morisato outsmarted me twice does NOT bring me any joy, although I have to give him a measure of respect. He's a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. We will just have to up our game somewhat. And having Baldur here will give us access to more of Heaven's workings and we'll come up with new strategies about how to get rid of those Goddesses once and for all."

Marller chimed in again. "So Baldur, why are you helping us after all? What's in this for you?"

Baldur straightened his robes again, stared at Marller with those penetrating eyes and said, "Let's just say that I'm not thrilled with the way Kami-sama is running things in Heaven these days. This whole Morisato situation is an example. There is no reason that a 'human'" He spat the word out, "should have been allowed to be transformed into a God. It upsets the natural order of things. Gods are meant to be Gods and humans are meant to be humans. This could cause an unhealthy precedent that would end up negatively affecting both the Heavenly and Earthly planes!" Baldur's voice began to rise as the frustration mounted.

"Kami-sama and the Council had the authority and the power to prevent this from happening, but they didn't want to appear to be on the wrong side of every goddess in Heaven. Not even all the Goddesses were in favor of Morisato being transformed, but once the Song of the Goddesses was started, they all got caught up in it, and the Council as well as Kami-sama decided to just let it happen.

"Unfortunately, the transformation is irreversible, and now that Belldandy and that Morisato hybrid have engaged in sexual congress, they now have the Sacred Coupling." At the mention of that act, Hild shuddered, because she knew that it was the Sacred Coupling that caused her defeat at the hands of Keiichi and Belldandy the second time. The Sacred Coupling allowed Kei and Bell to combine their abilities to a level greater than their individual strengths which made it possible to defeat Hild. And now because both Keiichi and Belldandy were First Class deities, combined with their selfless desire to protect the other at the expense of themselves, that made them even more difficult to overcome.

Marller said, "So do we have a plan? It seems like everything we've tried so far has been a disaster."

Baldur clasped his hands together and said with an evil twist, "Have you ladies heard of a little bauble known as the 'Eye of Heaven'?."

Chapter 2.

Keiichi woke up from last night's merriment and looked around his room. Belldandy was not sleeping beside him. He checked the clock and figured that Bell must have been preparing breakfast. It was shortly after 9am and that was usually the time that she had something on the table.

He didn't drink that much last night, even though his God powers significantly increased his tolerance to alcohol. Mostly he spent the evening being shuffled from one end of the Tea Room to the other by Peorth who had drank quite a bit of champagne and decided that what Keiichi needed was a few dance lessons. It turned out that Peorth was quite enamored of dancing, and the Rose Goddess had subjected Keiichi to waltzes, the foxtrot, the twist and a dance that was performed only in Heaven and which Keiichi found almost impossible to replicate.

At least, to his relief, she didn't try to seduce him like when she first appeared to him back in the day to grant an unspoken desire of the flesh.

Despite the large amount of alcohol drunk at Keiichi's victory party, the temple was actually in pretty good shape. No drunken bodies littered the various rooms. A testament to the fact that goddesses can hold their liquor better than humans, and that if they did go overboard, they had enough dignity to not let it be an embarrassment to them. No one was flashing the Tanuki statue and Belldandy didn't even have to perform a ritual cleansing.

Urd and Belldandy headed off to the kitchen to talk and Keiichi didn't see his goddess again the rest of the night. After Peorth danced her last dance with him, she said that she had to go back to Heaven because she had the early shift at the Earth Assistance Agency. She gave Keiichi a chaste kiss of congratulations and headed back home.

Lind, the warrior Goddess stayed behind because she had some leave saved up and decided to make good on that social call that she promised Keiichi and the Goddesses after the whole Angel Eater affair. So she was going to be around the temple for a few days, which for a household that was familiar with goddesses and demons popping in and out uninvited, unannounced, and at any time of the day or night, was no big deal.

Keiichi got to his feet and headed towards the kitchen, and was surprised not to find Belldandy cooking breakfast. He found it mildly unusual because Belldandy was nothing, if not a creature of order and routine. But he didn't think it anything to get overly concerned about. He left the kitchen and headed towards the courtyard to get a bit of fresh air.

It was there that he met Belldandy standing in the doorway leading out to the courtyard. She was paying rapt attention to a lithe figure performing a complex and beautiful dance with a six foot long battleaxe.

"Good Morning Keiichi." Belldandy said cheerfully as she kissed him on the cheek. "I was just watching Lind work out. She moves so beautifully, that I just had to stop and take it in. I'll be starting breakfast in a few minutes."

"Take your time, Bell. I'm in no big hurry to eat." Keiichi said as he put his arm around her waist. He also stood and watched Lind and was immediately entranced by how precise and flowing her movements were. Keiichi knew that she was actually practicing a sequence of combat moves combining thrusts and slashes, parries, counters, ripostes and various block and attack combinations. But to the uninformed eye, it looked like a fluid dance of uncommon grace and beauty.

Lind's face was a mix of intense concentration and a blissful detachment. Dressed in a white tank top that exposed her taut midriff as well as matching snug white tights, Lind had what would be considered a dancer's body.

Unlike Urd who was voluptuous with _'killer curves in all the right places'_ and Belldandy, who was perfectly proportioned with everything just the way it was supposed to be, Lind's was long in the legs and arms and neck. She was small in the waste and hips and she wasn't as chesty as Urd and Belldandy.

Her limbs were wiry , but clearly well-developed in muscle tone due to the years of almost constant high level training. On the surface, Lind didn't look all that powerful, but one look in her eyes, and just by the way she carried herself sent a clear message that she was one goddess that was not to be taken for granted. She had a steely demeanor and didn't suffer fools gladly. She was ruthlessly efficient, and could be curt almost to the point of seeming disrespectful. A smile was rare for Lind and she was one who let her actions do the talking.

Lind wielded her battleaxe with effortless grace and mastery. The dangerous blade flew in savage arcs with such speed that Keiichi and Belldandy could literally hear it sing as it sliced through the air. It caught the sunlight producing streaks tracing the mesmerizing but deadly patterns as it spun and dipped and arced.

In one sequence, Lind sent her axe spinning high into the air, she then executed a perfect somersault with a twist and dropped into a split just a second before she caught the axe by the handle. She then leaped out of the split, spun the axe overhead faster and faster before bringing the massive blade into a killing vertical slash that ended with the blade stopped just two inches from hitting the ground.

Belldandy turned to Keiichi and said "Isn't Lind incredible, Keiichi? She's using a Class 15 battleaxe which is the most difficult weapon in Heaven to wield. She is the only Valkyrie who has mastered it."

Keiichi replied, "I can see why she is considered to be the greatest of all the Valkyries. She makes that routine look so easy. She must have been training for years."

Kei and Bell had been completely distracted by their own conversation until a frightened yip by Belldandy made Keiichi turn his head only to see the business end of Lind's ax only inches from his nose. Six feet away at the other end, Lind's face was one of grim determination, but soon melted away into an almost playful smile. "Centuries, not years." She said, almost as an aside. She withdrew and held the axe at her side. Keiichi almost fainted from the shock of such a lethal weapon that close to him.

"Hmm, if I knew that I'd have an audience watching me practice, I would have brought out my advanced routine." Lind said.

"That wasn't your best?" Keiichi said incredulously.

"No. That was my usual everyday practice. Really not all that hard... for a Valkyrie, that is."

Belldandy chirped, "Lind, that was truly a beautiful sight to behold. I bet you're ready for a big breakfast." She turned to head back towards the kitchen to start preparation. Lind and Keiichi followed behind.

Lind held her axe out in front of her and it disappeared into whatever pocket dimension it was stored in whenever she wasn't using it. "Having never eaten a breakfast on Earth before, I am looking forward to the occasion. I hope that you didn't mind that I worked out while I was here. A Valkyrie can never be caught unready, even when on vacation."

Keiichi said, "We don't mind at all. We have lots of space for you to use, and at least if a demon attacks while you're here, we'll have the advantage this time."

Lind chuckled and said "Judging by the way you two handled Marller and Hild the last two times they tried something against you, there may not be much more I could do to help out. You used the Sacred Coupling to perfection and Keiichi's casting of the Lava Wind Barrage spell was nothing short of incredible. Because you two are so devoted to each other, that makes you a powerful force that won't be easily overcome."

Keiichi said "Well, when it comes to Belldandy, there's nothing I won't do for her. She means that much to me."

Lind said "I can tell. You both are two of a kind. But enough about fighting and demons. I came here to take some time off and relax a bit, as much as a Valkyrie can relax. What else is there to do here? I'm used to always being busy either practicing or going out on patrols or dealing with the Heavenly bureaucracy as the head of the Valkyries."

Belldandy said "Well, this may not be the best place for you if you expect to stay busy all the time. When we're not taking meals, I'm either doing chores or keeping Keiichi company. Urd is always watching TV or working in her lab. Skuld is inventing something in her lab..."

"Or blowing something up!" Keiichi interjected which caused a round of laughter from all concerned.

"And I'm either working on my motorcycle, or doing one of my many part-time jobs, or helping Bell with her chores, and of course, keeping _her_ company." Keiichi added. "All in all, with the exception of the occasional deity making a surprise visit, we're pretty laid back here. The temple is a nice quiet place, that is very relaxing...as long as Urd and Skuld aren't fighting over something."

"Was it a problem that Peorth and I showed up when we did?" Lind said, concerned that she may be imposing at a bad time.

Keiichi had to backtrack quickly as not to make Lind feel unwelcome. "No, not at all, I was just saying that we've had goddesses and demons popping in and out of here since Belldandy came to live with me and we've gotten used to it. It's all a part of living with three goddesses. I was not expecting the surprise party, but I welcomed it, and was glad that everyone had a great time."

Belldandy came to Keiichi's defense. "What Keiichi is trying to say, is that you're not imposing at all, Lind. You are welcome to stay as long as you want."

Lind visibly relaxed and said, "The last thing I wanted to do was impose myself on you. I don't go where I'm not wanted nor needed. And I do have to admit that this place is a little quiet for my tastes. But maybe it's good to just slow down and take it easy for a while."

Keiichi asked, "When was the last time you had any time off?"

Lind said without hesitation, "Four hundred years ago."

"Heaven time or Earth time?"

"Heaven."

"You haven't had any time off in two thousand Earth years?"

"That's about right."

"You've been training and battling demons for that long?"

"Yes."

"No wonder you need a vacation."

"I agree."

Keiichi probably didn't want to know the answer to this next question, but he asked it anyway. "Lind, how much leave do you have saved up?"

Lind said, "At ten days vacation per year, about four thousand days. And I know what you're thinking. No, I will not spend it all here. If it's all right with you, I'll spend about a month here and then head back to work. I get restless when I'm not busy. But I do appreciate the welcome you've given me. This will give me an opportunity to get to know you and the other goddesses a little better. We in the Combat Section tend to keep to ourselves."

"Why is that?" Keiichi wondered.

Lind turned serious. "Because we are charged with the safety of all the deities of Heaven as well as Yggdrasil. We take that job very seriously, and we feel that it is better that we concentrate all our time and effort to doing that. So we don't mix very well with the general community in Heaven We're seen as distant, aloof and not very friendly. And we prefer it that way.

"Some of the Goddesses there don't like us because we don't interact with the rest of the community. They think that we're elite and consider them below us. They're half right. We are elite. Every year, out of a thousand applicants to join the Combat Section, we only take ten. Our training is extremely difficult. Goddesses have been known to suffer major injuries and even permanent damage while in training. But we believe that the more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in combat.

"Of the ten we accept into training more than half of those fail because they can't cut it. We can't afford to be seen as weak or easily defeated. But under no circumstances do we consider the general community below us. It is them and Kami-sama we serve. We put our lives on the line to keep Heaven and Earth safe."

Belldandy said, "Lind, I can only speak for myself, but I think that Keiichi will also agree. We appreciate all that you and the Combat Section do for Heaven. Heaven would not be the beautiful place it is if it weren't for the Valkyries protecting us."

Keiichi responded. "Hear, Hear!"

Lind offered a small, almost embarrassed smile. "Thank you for that vote of confidence. You know, in the few times I've come to Earth, I have never left the temple area. Keiichi, would it be possible for you to give me a tour of Nekomi when you get time? I would like to see what life here is like."

Keiichi said "Of course, we can take a tour this afternoon. Nekomi's not the garden spot of Japan, but there are some nice places to see, and we can take a tour of the school I used to go to, Nekomi Tech. Although, I'm pretty sure that if form follows, you'll cause as much of a scene there as Belldandy and Urd did when they first showed up."

Lind said "Why do you think that I'd cause a scene?"

Keiichi looked at Belldandy and they both started to giggle. "Lind, I guarantee you that if you showed up on that campus today, you would be the most attractive woman there. And you would have every guy on campus trying to pick you up.

"Pick me up?" said Lind.

Keiichi whispered to Belldandy, "She doesn't get around much does she?"

"No, she doesn't." Bell responded.

Keiichi said, "What we mean, Lind, is that you'll have lots of guys asking you out on a date."

"What's a date?"

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"You've never been on a date?"

"No."

Keiichi gulped as he struggled for the right words to say. "Uh, a date is when a man and a woman arrange to spend time together doing a certain activity. Like if I were to take Belldandy to a movie or out for a walk, or if we had a picnic. Dates are used to decide whether a man and a woman have enough in common to create a relationship. One date can lead to another, and another and if the two are compatible, they could become boyfriend and girlfriend or even marry."

Lind considered this and said, "I see. Like you and Belldandy."

Keiichi said "Right. Although our relationship isn't normal for how things are done down here. You mean that Valkyries don't date?"

Lind said, "No. We are forbidden to enter into the kind of relationship that you and Belldandy share because it is believed that such relationships interfere with the mission of the Valkyries, which is to protect and to serve Heaven. And for me, as the head of the Valkyries to do something like that would set a bad example for the rest of the group. I would never command those under me to do something, that I would not do myself.

But I would still like to take that tour and see Nekomi Tech."

Keiichi said, "Well, your wish is my command. This afternoon we'll take a tour of the city and the campus. Remember one thing, Lind. A date does not always end up starting a relationship like mine and Belldandy's. People date and just stay friends all the time."

Lind said thoughtfully. "Hmm, in that case, would you consider going out on a date with me?"

Chapter 3

Keiichi couldn't believe the words that just came out of Lind's mouth. A goddess dedicated to the art of combat was asking him out on a date! And she had the nerve to ask him in front of his girlfriend, who was also a pretty powerful goddess in her own right. And she was the jealous type. Keiichi was concerned about how Belldandy would react to such a request. He knew all about the power of her jealousy storms. After all, he exploited that very same power in defeating Hild for his First Class exam.

Keiichi envisioned Lind and Belldandy battling it out in a titanic struggle over who would possess him and just as quickly put that thought out of his mind. He strained mightily to find the right words to say that would appease both goddesses. "Umm, Lind I'm not sure that is a good idea."

Lind looked genuinely puzzled and asked "Why would this be a problem?"

Keiichi asked Belldandy to continue on to the kitchen, and he pulled Lind aside.

"How well do you know Belldandy?"

Lind responded, "Before the incident with the Lord of Terror and the Angel Eater, I knew of her, mostly by reputation. We had met a few times, but I had never really gotten to know her. As I said, we in the Combat Section keep to ourselves. We have very little interaction with field goddesses unless they call for help."

Keiichi said, "Well you should know that Belldandy has big jealousy issues. Any woman who tries to flirt with me or shows any serious affection towards me causes her to become very jealous. It can get to the point that she loses control and her powers break out and can cause serious damage. I like you, Lind. I think that we can be good friends, but for Belldandy's sake, I'll have to respectfully say 'no' to a date. But we can still take that tour.

Lind looked Keiichi in the eye and said with the slightest bit of offense, "I wasn't trying to get between you and Belldandy. And I understand what you mean. But I just wanted to see what men and women do when they are together on a date. Have no fear. I don't intend on 'flirting' as you say. I'm not Urd."

Keiichi said, "Well, just in case, let me talk to Belldandy and let her know what we're doing. She'll probably have no problem with it because she trusts me, but I like to let her know what I'm doing anyway. That way she doesn't get worried."

"Okay" said Lind. "Is there anything in particular I should wear? I think that my battlesuit is a little too unusual to be worn in public."

Kei said, "I'd tell you to ask Urd for clothing suggestions, but knowing her she'd have you looking like a slut. We're going to a college campus, so wear something casual, but nothing too informal. You're asking the wrong person for women's fashion tips. I'm pretty much a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. I'll ask Belldandy to help you.

Keiichi went into the kitchen where Belldandy was cooking away at breakfast. As usual, she was humming a tune to herself as she worked. She had a contented look on her face and she seemed to enjoy what she was doing.

"Belldandy?" Keiichi asked.

"Yes, Keiichi?"

" I suppose you heard about Lind wanting to go on a date with me?"

"I heard."

"I just wanted you to know that this wasn't something that I suggested. She came up with this idea out of the blue, and I hope that you won't be mad. She says that she just wants to experience a date for herself."

"I understand, Keiichi, and I think that it would be a wonderful idea. I think it would be good to let Lind see what life is like on Earth and how men and women interact with each other. It sounds like a lot of fun." She flashed a wide smile at Keiichi to indicate her approval.

Keiichi said, "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to be jealous or feel that I was doing something behind your back."

Belldandy turned to Keiichi and said, "Keiichi, I know that you would never do anything to harm me or my feelings. I know who your heart belongs to. And I know that when it's all said and done, it's me and me alone that you love. If you wish, I can tag along." With those words, she disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared as a tinier, but still perfectly proportioned Belldandy. She floated at eye level and giggled.

"Okay, Belldandy. If you want to come along and stay out of sight, then I'd be happy to have you along. Lind and I are just going up to take a tour of the school and take a ride around town to do some sightseeing and then maybe we can grab a bite to eat. Is it possible that you can help her figure out something to wear? You have a great sense of style."

"No problem, Keiichi." Bell returned to her regular height and finished her cooking in time to run off and help Lind dress. Keiichi watched Bell as she ran off and thought to himself, _"That went much better than expected."_

A half hour later, Belldandy called Keiichi from the Tea Room. "Keiichi, please come here and tell me what you think of Lind's outfit."

"Okay, be right there."

Keiichi walked into the Tea Room and did a double take. Lind looked very smart and stylish. She was wearing a white silk blouse with a soft floppy white bow at the collar. The blouse was tucked into a slim, but not too snug beige-brown skirt that was a couple inches above the knee. She wore dark stockings and pumps that had a modest two inch heel. Over the blouse, she wore a short jacket that matched the skirt. All in all, a very feminine, yet professional look. Lind looked like one of those "office ladies" that Keiichi occasionally saw hurrying into and out of Downtown Nekomi office buildings.

"Impressive." said Keiichi. "It suits you." He could see Belldandy's influence in Lind's choice of clothing. But as nice as Lind appeared, her face betrayed her unfamiliarity with Earth clothes. "I don't feel very comfortable in these clothes." Lind said. "They don't seem very functional. What if I had to battle a demon?"

"Lind." Keiichi exclaimed. "You're not getting into a fight today. You're going out on a date and this is the kind of outfit that women wear when they are going on a date. Relax. Everything will be okay. Try and forget for one day that you're a Valkyrie, or even a goddess for that matter."

Lind tried to follow Keiichi's suggestion, but she found it hard to drop her guard.

"Keiichi" she said. "I am a goddess and a Valkyrie. There's is nothing in the world that can make me feel otherwise. I am born and trained to be cautious and attentive to the world around me. I am ordered to be prepared for any eventuality." She was resolute in that statement, but her features softened. "But...for yours and Belldandy's sakes, I will try to act like a human woman. I appreciate all that you and Belldandy are doing for me to help me get acclimated to life on Earth." She threw her hands up in exasperation and said, "Maybe this date thing is a bad idea. I should just stay here and take my vacation at the temple."

Belldandy came over to Lind and took her hand. "Lind, I know exactly how you feel. I've never told anyone this, but when I first met Keiichi and he told me his wish was for me to stay with him forever, at first, I wasn't happy about the situation.

"Honestly, I prayed that he would have made a different wish. I didn't want to stay here. But as I came to know Keiichi and live in his world, and see life as he sees it, I realized that there was so much more that I didn't know and so much more that I wanted to learn. And that I was not just here because of my contract, but that it was my destiny to fall in love with Keiichi. And now I can't see myself doing anything else but spending the rest of my days with him."

Lind still looked a bit confused as Belldandy continued.

"What I'm trying to say Lind, is that it's all right to learn about new things. It's all right to experience a new world and do things you've never done before. It will only make you a better goddess for having tried. And isn't that what being a goddess is all about? Finding out new ways to make those we serve and love happier?"

The uncertainty that clouded Lind's face seemed to melt away as the truth of Belldandy's words resonated within her mind. "Now, I understand. I can be a better warrior and a better goddess by exploring new worlds and new ideas."

Keiichi said, "I don't think that's what Belldandy precisely had in mind when she said what she said, but if it helps you to get over your nervousness, then it works for me."

Kei and Bell finally finished getting Lind ready for her grand day out. They had reached the garage where Keiichi's motorcycle was parked when Lind pointed to the bike and said in disbelief, "What is THAT?"

"It's my motorcycle. We're going to ride it to the college." Keiichi said.

"It looks dangerous. Isn't it better to just fly?" Lind asked.

"It's probably faster, but one, my landings are still not very good and two, even though the students at Nekomi Tech can be pretty weird on the best of days, the sight of two people flying overhead is a bit much even for them. Remember Lind, we're supposed to be acting like humans. And in this world, humans don't fly."

Lind sulked for a few moments, but shrugged her shoulders in resignation. "Okay, so where do I sit?"

Keiichi pointed to the sidecar.

Lind looked suspiciously at Belldandy who said, "When Keiichi and I go out, that's where I sit. It's quite comfortable and a lot of fun. Try it, Lind.

Lind stepped into the sidecar and scrunched herself down into it. It was a snug fit, as Lind was a few inches taller than Belldandy, but she eventually settled in without any problem. "It's not so bad." She said. "Actually, it is pretty comfortable."

After helping Lind with her helmet, Keiichi mounted the bike and started it. The old BMW growled to life and settled into its trademark Boxer idle. "Well Belldandy we'll be back in an couple hours. Wish us luck." He winked at her to let her know that she could follow along in her _chibi _form. He strapped on his own lid and clicked the bike into gear. Twisting the gas he let out the clutch and he and Lind roared off. Belldandy waited a few seconds before changing form and flying away.


	2. Part 2

Chapter 4

The moment Baldur mentioned the Eye of Heaven, he knew that he had put one over on the two demons. Their blank stares told him everything he needed to know. After all, he himself had only found out about the Eye a short time ago. The fact that he had knowledge that they'd probably kill to receive made him feel very self confident.

Heaven held many secrets. So many that even a God as highly placed as he couldn't possibly know them all. But Baldur knew that to get what he wanted, Hild and Marller were the key. Of course, upon the mention of the Eye, The Damaikaicho and her number one assistant were also thinking the same thing. Both sides set to work trying to figure out how to exploit the other while making them think that THEY were in control.

Baldur brushed another imaginary piece of lint from his robes and continued, "I see that I have you at a loss. Please let me enlighten you. The Eye of Heaven is a jewel. It looks like an ordinary ruby, very deep red. Nothing to get excited about, appearance-wise. There are stones in Heaven and even on Earth that are much more beautiful and precious looking. But any similarity between the Eye and an ordinary jewel ends there. It is the product of very old and powerful magic, dating back tens of thousands of years.

"As to what the Eye does, very little is known. There are rumors that it was the source of power that created Yggdrasil. There are those who believe that possession of the Eye gives the holder power that rivals Kami-sama's himself. But these are only rumors. There are only three individuals in Heaven other than Kami-sama who know about the true function of the Eye. They are the Norns of Time. Belldandy, Urd and Skuld. It is said that they and they alone have the knowledge that can unlock the secrets of the Eye of Heaven.

"But therein lies the rub. If anyone were to ask the goddesses about the Eye, they would not be able to tell them about it because those secrets were sealed under a topic of Special Significance. The secrets of the Eye of Heaven were locked away in each of the goddess's minds by a powerful blocking spell. The goddesses don't even know that they possess such memories. The unbinding spell to open the Eye was divided into three parts, and each goddess has access to only one of those parts. Without the other two, the spell is useless. The only way to activate the Eye is to have all three goddesses present and in contact with the jewel. Only then, will the parts of the unbinding be made known to them."

Hild said, "Well that's a captivating story, but frankly, I fail to see what this has to do with Marller and I."

Baldur replied indignantly, "It should be painfully clear what this has to do with you. I need your help in securing the Eye."

Hild cast an annoyed glance at Baldur and continued, "And how, pray tell, are we supposed to help you secure the Eye, I assume that the Eye is located in Heaven, which, the last time I checked, is closed off to demons. Although I was able to get one of my minions up there to hack into the energy subsystem to shut off energy to Keiichi and Belldandy, but that took a lot of power and some pretty high level magic. I do not intend to spend that much time and effort to attempt another infiltration without some consideration in return.

"You see, your goddesses can run around signing no-strings-attached contracts with humans all they want, but us demons? That's not how we do things. If we're asked to do something, we expect compensation in return. So if you want our help, you have to make it worth our while." Hild said definitively.

"I intend to make it worth your while indeed." said Baldur. "I'm not so stupid as to approach the head of the demonic realm and her chief assistant for help without knowing the price. If the Eye does what I think it does, I will use it to usurp Kami-sama from his position of authority and take over Heaven. Once that is done, I will give you access to Heaven's workings and we will form an alliance to control Heaven and Earth. We can divide up Earth 50-50 and run the universe the way that we want. We can completely put these humans under our domain and make them our thralls. How does that sound?"

Hild stroked her chin and said, "Well, the possibility of such an alliance could be beneficial to both sides. It would make our job easier in that we could increase our share of humans accepting contracts with demons, and I do so love to play with humans. They are so much fun to manipulate. But how do I know that you won't try to double cross us?"

Baldur cut in saying, "I could say the same. After all, you are demons. And demons are embodiment of evil itself."

Hild immediately stopped Baldur with a unmistakably offended look. Her voice took on an edge sharper than the finest kitana. "Baldur, I will say this once and you make damn sure you listen because I will not repeat it again. Demons are the embodiment of evil, that is true. But know this, if a demon enters into a contract, they will fulfill all of the terms of that contract to the best of their ability. Or they will answer to me. And I give no quarter nor mercy to a demon that violates the terms of a contract. And if I enter into a contract, you can be assured that I will not try any funny business. However, can you make the same assurance?"

Of course, Hild was correct when she said that all demons will fulfill the terms of any contract they bind themselves to, but she didn't say that demons are given wide latitude to insure that such terms are fulfilled in a way as to benefit the demon more than the human.

In his mind, Baldur was taken aback by the force of Hild's statement. He knew that she meant every word of it, but he could not let her see that she intimidated him. Hild would pounce on a show of weakness as soon as she perceived it. Skillfully gathering himself together with no outwards sign of having done so, he said with hastily added bravado, "Hild, my dear. I am putting my career and even my life on the line just by meeting with you right now. If word of this were to make it back to Heaven, at the very least, I would have my license suspended for the maximum sentence. And that was if Kami-Sama was feeling especially generous. But most likely, I'd end up paying the ultimate punishment for a God or Goddess, and that would be isolation and disconnection from Yggdrasil." Inwardly, he shuddered at the mere mention of the punishment. He continued, "No God or goddess would risk that level of damnation unless he or she was firmly committed to the rightness of their cause. So you can be assured that I will keep up my end of the bargain."

Hild said, "Well, now that we've assured each other of the horrible price that would be paid should either of us try to screw over the other, how do you propose that we secure the Goddesses' assistance in helping us to get the Eye? If what you say is true, they don't have a clue about the Eye of Heaven or what it does. And we certainly can't go up to that blasted temple and ask them nicely, **'Oh Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld, we need your help in finding an ancient artifact that we want to use to take over Heaven and make your lives a living Hell.'**" Hild parroted in an dramatically cute voice. "Somehow, that approach will not end well."

Baldur sensed that Hild wasn't taking him seriously, but resisted the urge to challenge her. "Normally, I'd tell you that getting the Goddesses would be your problem. After all, you have more experience with fighting them than I do, and I can't be seen to be involved in a plot to capture them. And from what I've heard, your record of success against the Goddesses leaves much to be desired." Baldur paused for effect and to relish the increasingly angry look that crept into the faces of Marller and Hild. "But, fear not, I have provided a solution for our problem." He reached into his robe and pulled out a strange looking disk. It was colored deep bronze, polished to a high shine and was covered in runes from a long forgotten language. Marller, who had been silent the whole time, said, "What the hell is that thing?"

Baldur looked at her with thinly veiled disgust. "This 'thing' is called the Mjolnir Device. It is an emergency recall beacon. I 'borrowed' it from Kami-Sama's throne room while he was away. The doddering old fool keeps all of his most powerful magical artifacts laying around so that anyone can steal them. He probably won't miss it anytime soon because it's been thousands of years since he's used it."

Hild whirled her hands in a quick spinning motion. "Baldur, if you haven't noticed, we have a rather large and complicated enterprise running here, and left to its devices, it tends to go all pear-shaped in a big hurry. We don't have a lot of time to engage in idle chit-chat about the impending senility of Kami-Sama. Marller and I have given you an audience that we don't even reserve for our most senior demon lieutenants. What I'm trying to say is 'GET TO THE POINT!'"

Now it was Baldur's turn to look visibly offended. He said with a giant huff, "I've never been spoken to in that manner by a God or Demon in all my thousands of years...and I must say that I rather enjoyed it. Back to the point at hand, the Mjolnir Device is designed to be used in an emergency that requires the activation of the Eye of Heaven. Once activated, it sends a high priority override signal through the Goddesses connections to Yggdrasil. It will cause the Goddesses to drop whatever they are doing at the time, immediately return to Heaven and report to the chamber where the Eye is held. Once there, the blocking spell that sealed away the activation sequence for the Eye will be removed and the Goddesses will then recite that sequence. At that point, I will be standing by to take control of the Eye and put our plan into motion."

Hearing this plan sent Hild to the end of her patience. "This plan, while fairly sound in its content, still begs the question, and I ask again, what does this have to do with us?

It looks like you have this whole thing under control. I do not see where our involvement is needed in this venture.

"You have wasted too much of our time here, Baldur. I am showing you much more tolerance and patience than you and your plan rate. If you do not tell us what our role in this little affair is, not only will I have you bodily thrown out of this chamber, by the biggest and meanest of our demonic security but," She produced a disk of her own, "I will make sure that the recording of our conversation will somehow find a way to a Valkyrie outpost. I am very sure that your superiors would love to hear your treasonous plans revealed. I am told that isolation is the equivalent of a living death to a God or Goddess. Let's find out how bad it truly is." Hild grinned evilly at Baldur.

If it were possible to turn even paler than he already was, Baldur had done it. "You wouldn't dare..." he said through clinched teeth.

Hild snarled, "Oh yes, I would. Remember my dear Baldur, you are on my turf. You are the one who is risking your life as a God by coming here with your idiotic plan. Did you think that I would not be recording this meeting just in case you decided to pull something over on us? Give me some credit, Baldur. I didn't become the Daimaikaicho by being a goody two-shoes. Don't let my stunning good looks and easygoing and playful manner fool you. I am ruthless, merciless and will trample over anyone who gets in my way, and I won't feel the least bit guilty in doing it to you. Now. For the last time. Why are you here and how can we help you?"

Chapter 5

Keiichi could not have picked a better day to take Lind sightseeing. The sun was out, a nice breeze was blowing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and even more unusual, there was very little traffic on the road leading to Nekomi Tech. If he hadn't known better, he could have sworn that Belldandy might have had something to do with the superb weather and riding conditions. Then again, maybe she did. Despite being with Belldandy for over four years, Keiichi had to concede that there was still much to learn about his goddess girlfriend.

Keiichi and Lind were speeding down a winding road along the river and the Nekomi business district was just coming into view. Kei looked down at Lind to see how she was faring. What he saw surprised him. Lind was taking in the sights and sounds, mouth and eyes wide open and full of wonder. She looked like a little kid taking her first ride in the family car. Gone was the steely and cold demeanor of the legendary demon hunter. It was replaced by an intense curiosity and desire to see all that this human world had to offer.

Lind caught Keiichi looking at her, and tried to return to the detached and serious facade, but Keiichi had her dead to rights. She stammered, "I was just, uh, checking out potential trouble spots and assessing the current tactical situation.", knowing somewhat that her excuse would cut no ice with Keiichi.

Keiichi said, "Sure you were. If your eyes were any more wide open, they'd be the size of dinner plates. It's okay to be curious and admit that you're enjoying yourself, Lind. It's a beautiful day to be out riding."

Lind recovered, "That it is. I am surprised that I can enjoy the scenery so well. I wouldn't see half of this if we were flying. I suppose there is something good about this motorcycle thing."

Kei said, "That's why Belldandy loves to ride in the sidecar so much. She never gets tired of seeing and experiencing new things. Every day brings new things to do and sights to see. She really loves it here on Earth."

Lind asked, "How much further do we have to go?"

"Just a couple more miles to the campus."

"If you don't mind, Keiichi, you can take your time. I want to enjoy this day as much as possible."

"Your wish is my command."

"Keiichi, I didn't make a wish and you have no authority to grant them."

"Never mind, Lind."

A few minutes later, the two arrived at Nekomi Tech. Lucky for Keiichi, his parking permit was still good despite being out of school for a year. They found a convenient spot close to the campus, and Kei helped Lind out of the sidecar. She climbed out of the sidecar, smoothed out her clothes and stood in front of Keiichi awaiting his next move. He steered her towards the main common area of the campus.

Nekomi Tech was a large sprawling campus located just outside the business district. It was originally built on an old Japanese World War II airbase and still used some of the old hangers for storage facilities. The school would not have looked out of place in an American college town. NIT was considered one of the better colleges in Japan and had a quite a reputation as indicated by the very high entrance exam requirements. It attracted it's share of jocks, nerds, brainiacs and slackers.

Keiichi noticed that the campus was busier than usual. People were running from place to place and there was a definite buzz in the air that was normally not present. He had an idea of what was going on and if it was what he thought it was, it would be the last place he wanted to take Lind. She was just starting to get used to Earth and he didn't want to subject her to anything that would freak her out. What he saw when he rounded the corner of the Computer Science building confirmed his suspicions.

Mostly terrible karaoke being sung at ear-splitting volume. Garish costumes in colors that had no business whatsoever being put together by anyone with two working brain cells. Crazy signs written in extra large and equally unreadable print. Guys running around dressed in _happi_ coats and kamikaze headbands, or posing as samurai, giant robots, and rejects from a Godzilla convention screaming unintelligible rants. Girls wearing all manner of clothing from kimonos to furry animal suits, maid uniforms to bathing suits to bikinis and in some cases even less than that. Booths of all sorts with anything from stuffed animals to weird food to the latest science projects cooked up by the biology and chemistry geeks. It was Spring Carnival time at NIT.

The annual week-long function was the major celebration of the arrival of spring to the campus, as well as the prime opportunity for the many student clubs to put on their recruiting drives to attract new members. Each club was represented with a booth that was decorated with signs and pictures showing recent club activities, and club officers and members were busy working the crowd shaking hands, buttonholing bewildered freshmen and preaching loudly about the virtues and benefits of signing up with their particular outfit to, or in some cases, at anyone who would stand still long enough.

Everything was promised from guaranteed jobs with the best companies upon graduation to invites to the best parties to finally nabbing that dream guy or girl to getting the top grades in your hardest professors class. Each club was keen to get the most members, and anyone who showed the slightest bit of interest in one club would soon be surrounded by half a dozen members from other clubs, each pitching their club's successes. The whole scene was loud, surreal in some places, outright disturbing in others, and in Keiichi's opinion, the absolute last place on earth to take a skittish warrior goddess who was trying to make sense of a new world and still very much on the defensive.

Keiichi said, "I had a feeling this was going to happen. Lind, maybe this is not the best place for you to be right now. Let's go sightseeing inste..." he turned to hustle Lind off campus when she put her hand on his shoulder and none too gently, whirled him around. He faced a goddess who had an Arctic ice look on her face. He felt the temperature around him descend as her slate-gray eyes bored into him. Her hands were on her hips and she leaned in close to Keiichi's face.

"Who said that I was ready to leave?", Lind growled. "I understand that I'm new to this world and that you feel an obligation to protect me and show me a good time. Maybe that's why Belldandy is in love with you. I understand and appreciate your caution. But Keiichi, I'm a big girl. You don't have to protect me. If anything, it's more the other way around. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. This place is...unusual, I will admit. I've never seen anything like it before and we certainly don't have anything like it in Heaven. But wasn't it you and Belldandy that kept telling me that it's good to see new things, meet new people, and so on?"

Keiichi shrank back from Lind's penetrating glance and stammered, "Well yeah, but..."

"But what?"

"I just thought we'd gradually ease into this with something quieter."

"You didn't know this was going to happen?"

"No, Lind. I haven't been on campus in a year and I forgot that the Spring Carnival was on."

"So it's not your fault. Everything will be all right. Let's go and have some fun."

"Okay."

Keiichi and Lind turned back around and headed into the carnival midway. Above the campus hiding in the rooftop corner of a building, Belldandy watched the two as they walked away. A look of concern with a touch of dismay in her eye. She wasn't jealous, but she still harbored that secret that she was keeping from Keiichi. It pained her greatly to hide things from him. She never wanted to do such a thing, and their relationship was based on mutual trust and openness with each other, but she was something she had no choice about. She had sworn to protect Keiichi at all costs including her own life. And part of that compact was holding this secret. After a few moments of contemplation, she shrank back down to her miniature form and stayed close to Keiichi and Lind.

The further along that Keiichi and Lind walked into the carnival atmosphere, the weirder it got. The Biology Club was showing off its latest attempts to create a new life form from the algae in the campus fountain, but whatever the creature was supposed to be, it just sat there like a clump of algae. The Photography Club showed off its latest gallery of photos taken from the previous semester, but all the pictures were random shots of people's thumbs, the ground, strange faces looking into the camera lens and awkward pictures of the sky. The shutterbugs insisted that the pictures were taken intentionally, and tried to explain their motivation as the randomness of human existence, but no one was buying that argument.

The Karaoke Club was putting on its annual show and each singer that mounted the stage was even worse than the one before it. All sorts of songs from mournful _enka _ ballads to the latest pop and rock singles were being mangled, folded, spindled and mutilated in ways that their original songwriters never intended. The strange thing was that more and more people stood by to watch the trainwreck, mesmerized at the wanton destruction of what would have normally been pretty good music. It didn't hurt that the Karaoke Club was providing cheap alcohol to potential singers to summon up the liquid courage required to make an absolute fool of themselves in front of thousands. But then again, the same booze was being sold to the audience so it all evened itself out in a way that only college students could understand.

Keiichi looked around at all the craziness surrounding him and said to Lind, "Boy, it seems that Spring Carnival gets wilder and wilder every year. It wasn't this bad when I was going to school." He ducked in time to evade a model rocket that uncontrollably zipped by his head.

Lind was captivated by the whole scene. Transfixed by the inane displays, she was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells of the unfolding carnival. "You humans are a strange lot indeed." she finally concurred.

"Understand, Lind that this is a college campus and the way students act is not the same as the rest of society. This is the last chance many of these kids will have to let loose and have fun before they graduate and go to work." Keiichi reminded her.

Lind said, "We're not like this in Heaven. Heaven is a serene and quiet place, free from stress and care. Unlike this "carnival", there's no chaos, or wild goings-on. It's beautiful, peaceful, and in some cases, a trifle boring. Something like this would never work up there. Although I wouldn't mind bringing a few of our more uptight deities down here just to see their reaction." Lind chuckled.

"So you're enjoying yourself, Lind?"

"Yes, very much so. I'm glad you and Belldandy convinced me to do this." Lind seemed to becoming much more comfortable in these surroundings.

They reached the end of the Carnival midway and were turning the corner to head back up the other side of the walkway where more booths were waiting when they came across a familiar scene that put Keiichi on edge.

The Motor Club booth.

As tacky and insulting to the senses as some of the other club booths were, none could hold a candle to the aural and visual abomination that was the Motor Club hangout. The shriek of four cylinder engines tuned to within an inch of their lives blaring through loudspeakers at volume eleven. The booth looked like it was painted by a classroom of six year olds amped up on chocolate and soda pop. Assorted Motor Club projects in varying levels of assembly littered the booth floor. Go Karts, motorcycles, old cars, and the gas powered unicycle that Ootaki and Tamiya tried to dragoon Keiichi into riding were scattered around the floor. There was no attempt at organizing the mess and truth be told, it looked like a bomb went off in a car factory and if the mechanical madness wasn't enough to insure that the Motor Club would come in dead last in terms of booth aesthetics, the appearance of the current crop of members would seal the deal.

Ootaki was dressed in a full set of Arthurian era knight's armor down to the rather prominent codpiece. He was brandishing a four foot long broadsword and swinging it madly about while pinning a terrified sophomore in the corner of the booth trying to get him to join the club. And by the look of things, not having much success. Meanwhile, his partner in crime, Tamiya was zipping around the carnival grounds on a micro minibike that looked like it was shrunk in the dryer. His massive body could barely stay on the tiny machine as it strained to carry its huge load at anything above a slow walk. He was passing out leaflets to anyone who would accept them and shoving them into the hands of those who resisted. But as sorry as the two ringleaders looked in their vain attempt to rustle up potential members, the current club president took the cake.

Somehow, Tamiya and Ootaki either persuaded, or most likely bullied Sora Hasegawa into wearing a scanty race queen outfit that was designed to maximize the wearer's most prominent assets. However, in the case of poor Hasegawa, she had little in the way of prominent assets to maximize. Sora always had issues with her appearance which usually got her confused with a high school girl. She had no boobs, no hips, no butt and legs like a songbird. And with the scanty halter top and very short shorts on, what was supposed to maximize her most prominent assets actually served to maximize her _lack_ of such.

She had a pained look on her face as she held up a sign that begged someone, anyone to sign up to join the Motor Club. It was as if she wanted the earth to swallow her up whole. Guys would walk by the Motor Club booth, take one look at Ootaki The Brave and Sora the Sexy and collapse into roaring fits of laughter which ended up just upsetting her even more. But give Hasegawa credit, she would do whatever it took to make the Motor Club succeed, even though it always looked like any plans she had would be sabotaged by the two lummoxes that towered over her.

Keiichi saw the whole sordid mess, shook his head gravely, and debated with himself whether he should subject Lind to witnessing this spectacle. Then he remembered how she told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't need protection or patronizing for that matter. Trying to put the best face he could on it, he said "Lind, here's the club I used to belong to when I went to Nekomi Tech. The Motor Club. A real fun buncha guys."

Hasegawa saw Keiichi and Lind approach, turned white as a sheet, and tried desperately to find someplace to hide. Finding none, she frantically pulled the sign down over her outfit, and silently wished that Kei and Lind would pass by without saying hello. But Sora's luck was not with her.

"Hey Hasegawa." Keiichi said as he looked around the booth. Lind stood there with a bemused look on her face.

"Oh, it's you Keiichi." Hasegawa replied in mock surprise. "Wasn't expecting to see you here." as she said to herself _'__**Move along Keiichi, nothing to see here!'**_

"It was such a nice day to be out riding and I wanted to take my friend Lind here, for a day out."

"Your friend? What happened to Belldandy? You two aren't..."

"No, Hasegawa. Belldandy and I have never been better. Lind is, um, Belldandy's other sister."

Lind tried to speak "No, I'm not Belldan..." before she was pulled brusquely aside by Keiichi. "What are you doing, Keiichi?" she rumbled with a touch of anger.

"Lind, ixnay, on the oddessgay!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She doesn't know that Belldandy, Urd and Skuld are Goddesses. She thinks that Bell is an exchange student from another country and Urd and Skuld are her sisters." Keiichi whispered fiercely. "They don't need to know that you are also a Goddess, and that I am now a God. That'll make a lot of problems for everybody. So while you're here, if anyone asks you, you're Belldandy's sister. Understand?"

Lind nodded her head, although she still didn't see what the problem was. "Okay, I understand, but it's not in my nature to deceive people. Why shouldn't everybody know about Gods and Goddesses walking among them?"

"Lind, believe me you don't want to know. Just humor me on this one."

"All right." Lind said with resignation.

They turned back around to face Hasegawa, who had hastily thrown on a pair of pants and jacket to cover up the race queen garb. She took one look at Lind and muttered to herself, **'Yet another example of a real woman. Something that I'll never be.'** as she took in the goddess's trim figure and smart outfit. Keiichi asked, "So Hasegawa, how's the Carnival going for you guys? Sign up any new members?"

She silently held up the sign-up sheet which had ten signatures on it, and each one of them was crossed out, some so violently that the paper was torn in several places.

"We sign up new people because they show some interest in building cars and bikes, but then they get one look at Ootaki and Tamiya and they change their minds. We even tried to give away free beer, but those two drank it all, and there was none left to give out to people. They told me to put on this outfit..." Hasegawa said as she opened her jacket to show her halter top, "But, you see how that's going."

"Keiichi, I wonder sometimes why I do this. Every idea I come up with, Ootaki and Tamiya keep screwing it up, and the few ideas that do work, they take all the credit and leave me with all the blame. Nobody wants to be director because they don't want to deal with Ootaki and Tamiya's meddling." Sora said with mounting frustration.

Keiichi said, "Wait a minute. Those two should have been out of school by now. Why are they still here?"

Hasegawa responded, " Because they took advantage of that stupid rule Chihiro cooked up when she was founder that said that even alumni and graduate students of Nekomi Tech retain club membership with all benefits. So they still stay around taking meaningless graduate courses, just so they can keep student status and stay in charge of the club. Half the time, they don't even go to class, they just hang around the clubhouse and drive everyone crazy. Would you hire either of them to work for you, Keiichi?" a bitter Hasegawa moaned.

Keiichi had to admit that she had a good point. No sane employer would want those two nutcases in their shop. He had seen the chaos that occurred the last time Chihiro had those two mind her shop when she went on vacation. The place was a disaster area and it took three days to get it back to something resembling normal.

He looked at the back of the booth where Ootaki was still in his knight's armor and had cornered yet another terrified student who had the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The freshman looked as if he was cornered by a hungry lion, pure agony across his face. He looked at Keiichi hoping that he could save him, but Keiichi just shrugged his shoulders with a **'No can do, pal. You're on your own' **look. He knew what that student was experiencing. He himself was on the receiving end of more of Ootaki and Tamiya's threats and schemes than he cared to remember. Belldandy had intervened on his behalf the last time they tried to bully him into one of their stunts. He was grateful for Bell standing up to the two creeps, but a part of him was mad at himself because he let them run over him yet again, and that he had to rely on his goddess to stand up to them when he couldn't.

Keiichi felt sorry for poor flustered Hasegawa. He and Belldandy maintained a certain fondness for the girl. They knew that she was a tireless worker who preferred to let others shine while she worked in the shadows. They tried to get her out of her shell once before when Ootaki and Tamiya signed her up for a go-kart race for women. She was scared to death of the kart and constantly doubted her ability. Eventually, with hard work and a lot of encouraging words from Belldandy, she entered the race, and while she didn't win, she placed in the top six, which in the mind of Sora and her supporters was just as good as a victory. That success helped her to become a little more self confident, but it still wasn't enough to help her to bear up under the relentless hassling by the two graduates.

Keiichi said, "Sora, I don't know what to tell you, other than you have to try and stand up to those two." He had just gotten those words out of his mouth when she rushed towards him, threw her arms around him and held him in a desperate hug. "I know that Belldandy is your girlfriend, Keiichi. And I hope that she understands, but right now, I really need support from someone I care about." Hasegawa said as she clung to Keiichi. Tears began to run down her face as she started to cry silently. Keiichi said nothing as he held his friend, and let her embrace him. Through the Sacred Coupling, he could hear Belldandy's voice whisper assurance that she understood and that it was perfectly all right to comfort his friend. He held Hasegawa for as long as she wanted. She continued to sob gently as Belldandy through Keiichi sent waves of energy intended to revive Sora's spirit and strengthen her weak confidence. Lind stood by and watched the exchange between the two friends and gradually she began to understand why Belldandy fell so hard for Keiichi. She saw how much Kei cared for his friends. How he was willing to put himself in danger to protect Belldandy, and how he hard he worked to make sure that the Temple was a suitable home for Bell and her sisters.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene." a voice that reeked of haughty pretentiousness called out. "A loser ex-Motor Club Director hugging the loser current director. How sad." Keiichi and Hasegawa broke their embrace and faced the direction of the intruder.

The voice belonged to Toshiyuki Aoshima. Dressed in the latest designer suit that cost more than Keiichi's entire wardrobe. Shoes that cost at least 30,000 yen. The aviator sunglasses alone clocked in at 25,000 yen. Aoshima was the resident player on campus. He was Nekomi Tech's biggest womanizer and never went anywhere without a gaggle of co-eds following him around, vying for his affections.

He went through girlfriends like a tornado through a trailer park, capturing their attention, loving them and leaving them whenever someone cuter and shallower came along. It was said that the longest that Aoshima kept a girlfriend was three weeks. He left a trail of broken hearts behind him, but still the girls kept following him around, each hoping that she would be the one who would be the exception to the rule.

A lot of Aoshima's appeal with the ladies came from the fact that he was insanely rich. The son of the founder of the Aoshima Conglomerate, a huge corporation that had its hand in most of the entertainment industry in Japan, Toshiyuki drove the newest cars, had the coolest clothes, and dated the hottest girls on campus and was quick to let everyone know.

Lastly, Aoshima was the founder and president of the Four Wheels Club, a campus organization set up as a rival group to the Motor Club. The Four Wheels Club was the exact opposite of the Motor Club in all forms. Where the Motor Club was building cars and bikes and other vehicles from parts they scrounged together from the junkyard, The Four Wheels Club merely bought the cars they wanted fresh off the showroom floor. The Motor Club members would drive their own vehicles in competition, while the Four Wheels Club hired professional drivers to race for them while they hung out in the paddock hosting lavish socials. Motor Club parties were drunken bashes with bad karaoke and a lot of grab-assing, while Four Wheels Club functions were more like exclusive high society soirées held at the trendiest clubs with the finest booze, celebrity chefs cooking their signature dishes, a bevy of curvy models draped over luxury supercars, and invitations were almost impossible to come by for anyone who wasn't a member or who didn't pass muster with Aoshima.

Aoshima created the Four Wheels Club for the express purpose of stealing potential members away from the Motor Club and driving them out of existence. But despite having much more money, more members, and a much cooler booth that took up an entire parking lot, the Four Wheels Club could never vanquish the Motor Club from the campus. The Four Wheelers tried shaming and insults, sabotage, and outright cheating to defeat the Motor Club, but the snazzy newcomers hadn't counted on the resiliency of Keiichi, Belldandy and Hasegawa. They refused to back down and rallied the other members of the club to work that much harder to compete against their wealthier neighbors. And that irritated Aoshima to no end. Add to the fact that he tried on multiple occasions to steal Belldandy away from Keiichi with no success, only made the rivalry between the two clubs that much more bitter.

Aoshima sauntered up to the Motor Club booth, his entourage in tow, looked disdainfully at the tribute to tackiness, and said with a posh accent, "Well isn't this pitiful? **This** is what we have to compete against? A lunatic in a knight's costume and a high school girl trying to look like a race queen? Don't make me laugh. For the life of me, I don't know why the administration still keeps this club of misfits on campus."

Keiichi said, "Hello, Aoshima. Still being your usual charming self, I see. It's good to see that some things haven't changed. You're still a pompous idiot and your Four Wheels Club still can't beat the Motor Club on the racetrack. What brings you to the other side of the tracks today? Slumming, are we? Coming over to see people who actually work on and drive their cars instead of hiring others to do it for them?"

Aoshima sniffed, "Morisato. I should have known you'd be here. What's the matter, Keiichi? Miss the old times? Can't tear yourself away from this dreary little campus and this dreary little club? Lemme guess. Hasegawa here called you to help her bring in some new members." Aoshima walked over to the sign in sheet at the booth, and held it up to Keiichi and Hasegawa. "Every person who signed this sheet, crossed their names off here and joined the Four Wheels Club. Kitagawa, Oiichi, Kusanagi, Morimoto, all of them are now members of our Club. We're going to take all your members and leave you with nothing, Morisato. No members, no club. There will be only one motor vehicle club on this campus and that will be the Four Wheels Club. Got that?"

Keiichi looked Aoshima in the eye and calmly said. "The difference between the Four Wheels Club and the Motor Club is that we have no problems getting our hands dirty. We work on our own cars and bikes here. Does anyone in your club even know how to change a tire? Does anyone there know how to change the oil, or do they hire someone to do it for them? You may have more members than us, but we have more fun. We put our hearts and souls into our cars and treat them with respect, not put them on pedestals and treat them like pieces of art to be looked at and not touched. The people you signed up would never cut it in the Motor Club. We want people who love cars and bikes and will put their sweat and blood into them. Not a bunch of posers who sit around trying to look cool."

Aoshima had heard enough. "Morisato, the Motor Club's going down. Expect no mercy." He turned around and was about to storm off when he was stopped in his tracks by Lind who was watching the whole exchange and not liking it one bit. She froze him with her grey eyes as she turned on her Valkyrie charm.

"Who are you?" Aoshima said.

"My name is Lind. I am Keiichi's friend." Frost hanging on her every word.

"His friend, huh? Does this mean that he and Belldandy are finished, and that he has a new girlfriend? I hope so. I've been trying to steal Belldandy from that little wimp for the longest time. I don't know what she sees in him. He's not cool, he has no money, he lives in a ratty old temple. That lousy excuse for a motorcycle he rides is about to fall apart. She'd be much better off with someone like me, who would treat her in the way she deserves to be treated. There's no way a goddess like Belldandy belongs with a worthless geek like Keiichi."

Lind continued to stare down Aoshima. "Keiichi and Belldandy are still very much together. And there is nothing that you can offer her or do for her that will drive her from his side. Belldandy doesn't care about your money or your possessions. What she has in Keiichi is worth more than all the money in the world. You, of all people, will never buy Belldandy's love. It's not for sale at any price."

Aoshima realized that trying to bully Lind wasn't going to work, so he tried to charm her instead. "Lind, is it? I'm so sorry. We must have gotten off on the wrong foot. Please forgive me for being so gauche. I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Toshiyuki Aoshima. I am the son of the founder of the Aoshima Conglomerate, and I like your style. Direct, no nonsense. I like that in a woman. I think that you and I have a lot in common. How about we go out to one of my father's restaurants for a five-star dinner. Leave Keiichi boy here with his little friends, and see the town with a real man."

Aoshima moved to put his arm around Lind and steer her away when he grimaced in pain as Lind grabbed his wayward arm, and bent it behind his back like a chicken wing.

"No." Lind said calmly with a grim smile. " I'm spending the day with Keiichi. He promised me he would show me the town and that's what he's going to do. I have no interest in being with petty little men like you who think that they can wave their money around and expect the world to bow at their feet. Keiichi is more of a man than you'll ever be. He cares for Belldandy in ways that would make your hair stand on end, if I were to tell you. So do us all a favor. Go back to **your **little friends, drink your champagne, look down your noses at each other and don't bother Keiichi and his Motor Club anymore." Lind spun Aoshima around, fixed him with her eyes and whispered, "Or you'll have me to deal with. And trust me, you don't want me as an enemy." She manifested just enough of her Valkyrie personage to let Aoshima know that she meant business and that he wasn't dealing with one of his ditzy co-eds. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, clapped him firmly on the shoulder twice and let him go. Aoshima staggered away not saying a word and nursing his sore arm, his retinue trailing behind like baby ducks following their mother.

Keiichi stepped up to Lind and said. "Wow, you really scared Aoshima, what did you say to him?

"I just told him that I had other plans and I wasn't interested in going out with him. I don't think that you'll be having any more trouble with him and his club. Come, Keiichi, there's much more that I want to see." Lind strode off purposefully.

Keiichi said goodbye to Hasegawa and headed off after Lind. Sora, who was watching the whole Aoshima episode unfold said to herself. **"I wish I had her confidence." **The hug from Keiichi raised her spirits and made her feel much better, although she was still at a loss trying to figure out how to get more people to join her club.

Chapter 6

"So, Baldur. We're waiting."

If a God could sweat, Baldur was doing so in buckets. He had found out the hard way that Hild played to win and he had no doubt that she would release the disc containing their conversation to the Valkyries. That act would seal his fate for good.

Consorting with demons even in casual conversation was frowned upon in Heavenly circles in the best of times, and planning to commit treason was definitely not something that would be well received by the Heavenly Council or Kami-sama, for that matter.

At best, he would have his license suspended for an extremely long time, he would lose his lofty positions on the Council and as head of the Department of Examinations and would be held up to ridicule and scorn. At the worst, he'd be placed into isolation for the maximum penalty and emerge irreparably damaged in body and soul. Neither option seemed good to him.

But he was intent on changing the order of things in Heaven and such change comes at a very high price. Baldur felt that if he could get control of the Eye of Heaven, and use whatever powers it had to unseat Kami-sama, and put himself on the throne, it was worth the consequences.

But all his plans would be for naught if he could not get Hild to buy in to his scheme. Baldur couldn't let her know that she scared him to death. Fortunately for him, he was very good at masking his true feelings. Or so he thought.

Hild was continuing to stare daggers at Baldur, as he tried to compose himself. She was partially concerned that the pompous official wasn't all that he purported to be and that she was wasting her precious time dealing with a poseur who acted like he had power, but was really all hat and no cattle.

As one skilled in the art of deception, Hild should have figured Baldur as a fake from the moment he first approached her. His line did seem to be a little too polished, but in a moment of weakness, after being humiliated by Keiichi in the demonic attack on the temple, she was looking for any opportunity to strike back at her enemies. And if using the rules of heaven against it would net the desired result, who could blame her for pulling that string?

So she welcomed him into her confidence. Appealing to Baldur's vanity and lust for power, it was a snap to convince him to change the rules of the examination protocol to allow her to pose Keiichi's first challenge. She had the perfect plan. Ensnare Keiichi into a situation from which he could not escape. Capture Belldandy, and force Kei into giving up his Godhood to get her back knowing that the only way they could stay together again was if Keiichi had forged another contract with her. But Heaven's wish servers were fixed so as to not allow wishes like the one that brought the God and Goddess together in the first place to be recorded. So Belldandy would have no choice but to return to Heaven with Urd and Skuld following, leaving a devastated Keiichi behind without his Godhood or his Goddess.

But even with a plan that watertight, Keiichi still found a way to free Belldandy and keep his divinity intact. By using Hild's power against her and taking advantage of Belldandy's biggest weakness, he was able to achieve what Hild thought was impossible.

While this latest defeat stung Hild, she figured that she still had Baldur in her back pocket and that he was still of some use. But after hearing his rambling diatribe about some mysterious Eye of Heaven, Kami-sama getting senile, and a Mjolnir Device that looked more like an elaborate dinner plate than an true object of Power, she was wondering whether keeping this clown around was worth the effort. Her hand was hovering dangerously close to the button on her desk that would summon her crack security team. No doubt they would want to have a little fun with Baldur before throwing him out on his ear, and Hild had no problem in letting them do so.

"Okay Hild. Here's where you come in." Baldur said confidently. "What I need you to do is to get a squad of demons together and create a distraction at one of the Valkyrie outposts near the Gate. One that is big enough to convince the guards that a demon invasion is inevitable. I will leak information through Valkyrie Intelligence saying that the Palace is under threat. Hearing this, the Valkyries will call for the Mjolnir Device to be activated which will bring the goddesses running to its defense."

"Hold on, hold on, wait a damn minute!" said Hild irritably. "Two questions. First, how am I supposed to get a force of demons through the Gate? And, second, how will the Device be activated from Heaven if you're holding it right here?"

"Did you really think that I'd bring the **real** Mjolnir Device into Niflheim?" said Baldur with a laugh. He held the disc up and waved it around. "If I did that, you'd hear the alarms and general mayhem from here. I may have delusions of grandeur, but I'm not that stupid. This, is a fake. A replica. I brought it here to show you what it looked like. The real Device is safely in my custody, in a secure place where only I can find it. It takes a special act by the Heavenly Council affirmed by Kami-sama to activate it. As I am a senior member of the Council, I can get the votes required to act with no problem. And that old fool will pretty much rubber stamp anything the Council does these days.

"As for getting an invasion through the Gate. I can use my access privileges to send them through. One of the advantages of being on Council is that my gate access codes leave no traces on the Valkyries' access logs. I can just spoof the logs so that it looks like a big group of field goddesses are coming back to Heaven all at once to check in of f their latest assignments. It happens all the time. Besides, all I need your demons to do is just make lots of noise, stomp around a bit, and, generally scare the Valkyrie guards into thinking that they are going to attack. They don't really have to invade Heaven."

"Okay." Hild said. "Sounds like a very good plan. I just _can't _wait to put it into action. It's the stuff of genius. And I really hate to cut this meeting short, but I just remembered that I have some serious demon type stuff to do that just _cannot _wait any longer." saying this in a rapidfire tone. As she spoke, her hand punched the security call button and instantly, two very large, and utterly unpleasant looking guards appeared.

"B-b-b-b-ut, Hild, we haven't discussed the finer..." Baldur said as the guards drew to either side of the official and picked him up under each arm so his feet dangled helplessly off the floor.

"Oh yes we have. Don't worry, Baldur, I know ex-actly what to do." Hild chortled. "Guards, please escort our guest out and don't rough him up too much. Bye-bye Baldur." She blew him a kiss and waved sweetly as the guards hauled the sputtering God out of the boardroom.

Once he was gone, Hild shook her head, slumped her shoulders, and said, "My God, that man loves to hear himself talk. Heaven doesn't have to worry about getting too cold with all that hot air floating about. Right, Marller...Marller?...**Marller!**"

Hild looked at the video screen and saw her chief assistant fast asleep, her head down at her chest, and her long blond hair covering her face.

Angry that even her most loyal soldier had left her to fend for herself, Hild directed a savage lightning bolt at the screen. The energy barreled through the circuitry and shot through the other end jolting Marller from her slumber.

"YAAAAAAAAA!" Marller cried as the lightning pounded through her head.

"I'm awake! Who! Wha! Where! I heard everything you said, Lady Hild!" The cowering Demon First Class stammered as she struggled to regain her faculties.

But for once, Hild wasn't in the mood to punish Marller. In a rare show of forgiveness, Hild said, "Well, I can't blame you too much for zoning out. If I had the chance to, I would have done the exact same thing. But don't let it happen again."

"Yes, Lady Hild. You are too merciful and kind to me, a lowly footsoldier in your vast empire..." Marller pleaded as she prostrated herself before the image of her boss on the screen.

"Shut up, Marller." Hild said.

"Yes, Lady Hild."

"So, Baldur thinks that I'm just going to go through all the time and expense to muster a demon force, send it through the Gate and just have it _'stomp around a bit, and make a lot of noise?' _" Hild said while making air quotes with her hands. "I don't think so. If he's going to offer us access to Heaven with his clearance, I'm going to make sure that I take full advantage of it. Not only are we going to stomp around and make some noise, we're going to break a few things too, and we'll make sure that Baldur's left holding the bag when it's all said and done." Hild said with an evil lilt in her voice. "We'll teach him the cost of wasting our time with his ridiculous half-assed plan."

Chapter 7.

After seeing the rest of the Spring Carnival as well as touring the Nekomi Tech campus, Keiichi and Lind hopped on the motorcycle and headed towards the business district. They had lunch in one of the local eateries, and Keiichi treated Lind to a dish of ice cream. "What is this?" Lind asked as she turned the bowl over and over in her hands and inspected it most carefully.

"It's ice cream." Keiichi said. "There isn't ice cream in Heaven?"

"No, there's nothing like this in Heaven. Remember, as Gods and Goddesses, we don't need to eat food in our Heavenly state. Why is it brown?"

"It's chocolate."

"And chocolate is..."

"It's a flavor. It describes how the ice cream tastes." Keiichi said patiently

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Lind said as she took a cautious nibble. A few seconds later, the happiest look came over Lind's face as she exclaimed, "This is delicious! I love it!. She dug into her bowl and was soon taking great spoonfuls and shoveling it into her mouth. She bounced up and down in her chair as waves of contentment came over her.

"Slow down, Lind!" Keiichi laughed. "If I hadn't known better, I'd swear I was on a date with Skuld!"

Lind froze in mid-swallow and glared, "And what does that mean?"

"It means that Skuld loves ice cream as much as you do."

"Oh. But I can see why. This is wonderful. I wish we had such things like this in Heaven." She pointed to Keiichi's bowl and asked, "Are you going to eat yours?"

Keiichi shrugged his shoulders and handed over his ice cream. "I have to admit, Lind. I have never seen you like this before. This is the first time I have ever seen you smile much less wolf down a bowl of ice cream."

Lind stopped eating, looked down at her ice cream, then at Keiichi and said, "Maybe I needed this time off more than I expected. I've been so dedicated and driven to be the best demon hunter and fighter in Heaven that I have forgotten how to slow down and enjoy life. I've lived most of my life on the edge, ready to strike at a moment's notice to defend Heaven. I've missed out on so much because of my calling to be a Valkyrie. I don't get to do the things that other goddesses do. They can socialize and have fun, and even enter into relationships. My Valkyries and I don't have that luxury. We have to stay on the watch constantly. We are wound so tightly. So when the time comes to relax and take it easy, we don't know how to do that. So it's very hard for us to loosen up and enjoy ourselves. When we finally do it, we go a little overboard. I'm sorry."

Keiichi reached over and grabbed Lind's hand. She flinched as if shocked, but didn't let go. Keiichi continued. "Don't worry, Lind. You have nothing to apologize for. This is an unfamiliar situation for you to be in. But don't forget, you're among friends, and friends put up with each other because they care about each other. You're my friend Lind, and I care about you and respect you as much as I care about the other goddesses. But there is a special place in my heart reserved for Belldandy. And I love and care for her most of all. But that's why we're here on this date. So we can become better friends and you can enjoy yourself and forget about being a Valkyrie for a while."

Lind said, "Now I know why Belldandy is head over heels about you. You have accepted her for what she is. The good, the bad, and the unpredictable. You've given up so much in your life to take care of her. And you put up with so much from Urd and Skuld and all the other goddesses you've met just to have Belldandy stay in your life. And now you have to deal with me, the crazy warrior goddess who's trying to figure out how to lay down her sword and become just an ordinary goddess for a change. Thank you, Keiichi."

Lind paused thoughtfully. "You should know that to be befriended by a Valkyrie is a very great honor. We don't make friends easily. Because of the nature of our work, trust is not something we bestow easily. It has to be earned side by side in battle, with lives on the line. But once we make a friend, they are ours for life." Lind flashed a big toothy smile at Keiichi.

Keiichi blushed and said, "Maybe it's time for us to head back to the temple. Belldandy's probably waiting up for us, and I'd like to get home and take it easy for a while."

"Okay." Lind said after finishing her second bowl of ice cream. "I can use another workout. Maybe my advanced routine this time."

"But you worked out this morning."

"And your point is..."

"Okay, well, whatever floats your boat, Lind."

"What do boats have to do with my working out?"

"Never mind, Lind."

It was only a matter of minutes when Keiichi and Lind returned to the temple. Keiichi helped Lind out of the sidecar and put the bike away. Lind waited and walked with Keiichi to the front door. They stopped at the threshold and Lind turned to Keiichi, looked deep into his eyes and said, "Thank you for the date. I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can do it again sometime. I'll be doing my advanced workout in an hour or so, if you're interested in watching. I will see you later."

And before Keiichi could respond, Lind pulled him close and kissed him deeply on the lips. A whirl of emotions roared through Keiichi's head. First of which was mortal fear of what would happen if Belldandy witnessed this spectacle.

Second was an immense pleasure because for a Valkyrie that had no time for relationships, Lind was a surprisingly good kisser. Keiichi tried to pull away, but found that he couldn't. Part of him was scared to death at what Belldandy would do if she caught wind of this, and part of him just wanted to ride it out and damn the consequences.

In the end, the latter won out and he surrendered to Lind's hold. After a few seconds, Lind released him, tipped him a wink and went into the temple, with an ever so slight sway to her narrow hips.

Keiichi stood motionless for a few moments as he tried to come up with a story that would placate Belldandy, when he turned to enter the temple and was faced with the love of his life staring at him. She didn't look like she was angry, but sometimes you could never tell with Belldandy. She asked in a perfectly normal tone of voice,

"Did you and Lind have a good time?"

Keiichi tried to play it as cool as possible knowing that tactic would cut no ice with Bell because she could read his mind and also feel his emotions through the Sacred Coupling connection they both shared. "You saw that didn't you?" Keiichi asked timidly. "Yes, I did." said Belldandy. "And you're probably wondering whether I am going to be jealous over that kiss."

Belldandy reached out and pulled Keiichi to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and Keiichi could feel the heat of her body against his. She stroked the back of his head lovingly.

"Back when you were still human, and you had trouble declaring your love to me, I would have been insanely jealous of Lind's actions. I was insecure, and had doubts about your feelings towards me." Belldandy said, comforting her man. "But now, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you truly love me, and want to spend the rest of your days with me, I'm not jealous."

Belldandy continued, "You have a certain way about you that makes women want to be with you. They feel comfortable and secure with you. You may have wondered back when we first met what it was that caused me to be attracted to you in the first place. Beyond the contract, it was because I felt safe in your care. That I was wanted, and cherished and loved even though you could never say the words.

"But I'm a girl, and girls still need to hear the words 'I love you' from the lips of the men they love. And now I know. You have given me what I have searched for my whole life. And as I once told you, I know who your heart belongs to. And I will never give it up." She kissed Keiichi.

Keiichi said, "And I too, will never give my heart to another."

Belldandy nodded, "Besides, you'll make it up to me. Don't think that you'll get away with kissing Lind without some consequences."

Keiichi knew that whenever Belldandy mentioned the phrase, **'you'll make it up to me'**, that usually meant him and her, naked, on a futon in his room making mad, passionate love. And considering that the last time that they had tried to get frisky, was when Skuld walked in on them a couple weeks ago, he knew they were due for a little fun. "So when do I start making it up to you, Belldandy?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Right now!" She grabbed Keiichi by the hand and half pulled, half dragged him to his room, Keiichi putting up only token resistance.


	3. Part 3

Chapter 8

Valkyrie Outpost, Gate Portal 4, Heaven.

"Just another quiet and uneventful day at wonderful Outpost 4." Anni-frid said with barely concealed boredom. She looked at the Gate Monitor screen and saw nothing but green, which meant normal activity, that the Gate was not having one of its moments, and that nothing was coming through that shouldn't. She also checked the latest status reports from Valkyrie Intelligence. No demonic activity to speak of, and Yggdrasil Main Control reported nothing unusual. There hadn't been any demonic activity of a significant nature since Hild and Marller attacked the temple and fought with Keiichi, Belldandy and Urd. Since then, all has been quiet.

Valkyries knew that long sustained periods of quiet were also the times that they should be most concerned about upcoming trouble. But Deities, like humans, tended to slack off and take it easy when things were slow. Anni's partner, Agneta, echoed her sentiments. "Yes, another boring day in Heaven." She sighed as she flipped through the various screens trying to stay busy.

The two Valkyries were monitoring an outpost next to Gate Portal 4, which was one of the more remote portals of the Gate in terms of its distance from the center of the main district of Heaven. There were multiple portals for the Gate to transport deities to and from Heaven, and Portal 4 covered the Far East of Earth including Japan. This was the same portal that Belldandy, Urd, Skuld, Peorth, and Lind escorted Keiichi through on their way to Belldandy's hearing, as well as the same portal that Urd and Keiichi brought an injured Belldandy through after their battle with Hild and Marller.

Anni-frid and Agneta were permanently assigned to this outpost and greeted both parties when they came through. Their jobs were to monitor the Portal for any suspicious activity, check all that came through for valid God and Goddess symbols, and to raise the alarm as well as provide a first line of defense should a demon attack occur.

Normally, it would have been redundant for the Valkyries to check for symbols visually because the Gate had the ability to confirm valid credentials while the passengers were in transport. But one of Hild's minions was able to pass through the Gate as well as the tight security at Main Control under a very sophisticated glamour spell that mimicked Urd precisely down to her Goddess symbol. She did so in order to hack into the energy transfer subsystem and cut off power to Keiichi and Belldandy so that Hild and Marller could attack them.

A lot of embarrassed Gods and Goddesses had some serious explaining as to how the debacle occurred. Especially because the incident affected what was considered to be the most popular couple to date in Heaven. Belldandy, of course, the brightest star of all the goddesses, and her lover Keiichi, the wunderkind human who became a God, and passed the First Class exam on his first try quicker than any God or Goddess in recorded history. And there was no way that Kami-sama and the Heavenly Council were going to let a hair on their heads be harmed.

As a result of that breakdown in security the order went out from Kami-sama himself that if such a mess happened again, he'd fire the whole Valkyrie senior staff and recreate the force from scratch. So for the sake of their own heads, those in charge were being extra careful and ordered that Valkyries manning the outposts were required to check credentials during Gate transports and after parties arrived at the outposts.

Anni-frid was the older and senior of the Valkyries manning Portal 4. She wielded a Class 9 battleaxe. Her partner, Agneta wielded a Class 6 axe. While both goddesses possessed the same First Class rank and Special Duty license, in the Valkyries, seniority was determined by the level of weapon a goddess wielded. The higher the class of weapon, the more powerful the magic it controlled and the more difficult it was to use.

The highest level weapon was wielded by Lind who carried a Class 15 battleaxe. She was the only goddess in history to master such a formidable weapon. It took her almost two centuries to learn how to control the awesome power of the blade. Any other Valkyrie would have found such a weapon almost impossible to lift, much less use. But Lind was able to manipulate it with all the ease of swinging a toy sword. Her training regimen was the stuff of legend amongst the Valkyries. No one could keep up with her.

Lind led by example, and never ordered her Valkyries to do something she herself was unable or unwilling to do. As a result, her soldiers at the very least greatly respected her, but mostly admired her and held her in high regard.

Anni-frid continued to scan the status screens in the hope that they'd show some kind, any kind of disturbance, but there was no change.

She turned to Agneta and said, "So Lind finally decided to take some vacation time, huh?"

Agneta replied, "Yeah, that's really surprising. I had heard that she hadn't taken any time off in over four hundred Heaven years."

"Judging by the way she'd been acting over the last few weeks, she definitely needed it." Anni said.

"Well, you have to remember that Kami-sama and the Council really reamed her out for that demon slipping past security. The Old Man was about to blow his top. Even though it wasn't her fault, Lind took full responsibility, but he still wanted to put her in isolation over the whole deal. So it was probably good for her to go away for a while until things settle down over in Main Control. You know how they get over there." sighed Agneta.

Anni responded, "So where did she go?"

"I heard that she and Peorth went down to Earth to congratulate that Morisato fellow for making God First Class."

"Isn't that something? He lands the most eligible goddess in Heaven, becomes a God himself and not only sits for the First Class Exam, but passes it on the first try. I know at least a dozen goddesses that have taken the test multiple times and haven't come close to passing. Do you think that Belldandy went easy on him as his proctor?"

"Naaah." Agneta chuckled "She's too much of a goody-two shoes and virtuous for that. She has too much respect for the Exam process to let someone slip by, even someone she loves. If anything, Belldandy would have made the test even harder on Keiichi just to prove she wasn't playing favorites."

"I've heard that those two have already..." Anni-frid stage whispered.

"I wouldn't be surprised." said Agneta. "Someone, and I'm not saying who, told me they did it up on Windsong Ridge."

"Everybody does it up on Windsong Ridge." laughed Anni. Agneta joined in.

"So who's taking over for Lind while she's on vacation?"

"Helga."

"Oh, no." groaned Agneta. "Not Scatterbrained Helga. Talk about utterly clueless."

"Tell me about it. How did she become a Supervisor much less a Valkyrie again?"

"She had a relative who was high up in Kami-sama's administration. The guy leaned on the Old Man so hard that Kami-sama placed her in the Valkyries just to get rid of him. He was hoping that she'd wash out of the selection process, but surprise, surprise she was actually tough enough to make it all the way through."

The conversation was interrupted by the sounding of a shrill tone. Runes and numbers flew across the Gate Monitor screen. Anni-frid quickly swiveled around and called up the display. "Someone's accessing the Gate." She said, turning all business.

Agneta checked the screen, hit a few keys on her control panel, and said, "Looks like a large group of, uh, field goddesses coming through at one time. I wish they wouldn't do that. It puts such a strain on the Gate and it might decide to go out on strike again."

Standing procedure required that Main Control be notified whenever a large group accessed the Gate all at once, so that they could divert enough power to it to insure that everyone in the group was able to get through with no problems. If it didn't happen, the Gate was known to take matters into its own hands by shutting down, and leaving whomever is transporting through it stuck inside. The Gate had a mind and a sentience all its own, and was quirky on its best day, and downright miserable and utterly uncooperative on its worst.

Agneta opened the link to Main Control. "Main Control, this is Agneta at Portal 4. We have a large group coming through the Gate. Preliminary identification confirms 40 to 50 field goddesses. I guess they're coming off their assignments and checking back in. Request acknowledgement and power increase."

"Portal 4, this is Ere at Main Control...standby."

Anni-frid and Agneta looked at each other in confusion. This was usually a routine request, carried out with no delay. "I wonder what that's all about." said Agneta.

After a few moments, Ere came back on the line. "Portal 4, I just checked with the Goddess Assistance Agency. They have no record of that many goddesses coming off assignments at one time for today. Also, according to them, all field goddesses are ordered to return to Heaven via Portal 6 instead of Portal 4. Something about Portal 6 having less turbulence. I have no idea what they are talking about. The Gate's ride is bumpy no matter which Portal you take. Field Goddesses can be **so** sensitive. The slightest bump and their feathers get ruffled. Typical GAA. Are you sure that those are field goddesses coming through the Gate?"

Anni-frid replied with a touch of annoyance. "I'm looking at the Goddess symbol signatures, they check out as field goddesses...hold on...wait a minute." She checked her screen again, quickly typed in a few lines of code into the system and noticed the symbols and runes on her screen change. "Main Control." she said, her annoyance turning to warning. "We have a problem. I'm running an advanced search on the symbols going through the Gate. They match no known registered Goddesses in the system. I think that we have some demons coming through under glamour spells. I'm requesting a squad of Valkyries be scrambled immediately and sent to Portal 4 armed and ready for battle, Priority One. Authorization Code Anni-frid Class 9 2-0-2-9-9-A.

Ere responded. "Authorization Code valid. We'll have those Valkyries at your location as soon as possible. Do you think you can hold out until they get there?"

Anni-frid looked at Agneta, who shrugged her shoulders. "Do we have a choice?"

"Good Luck, you two. Control out." Ere closed the link, and notified Valkyrie Intelligence, "We have a force of 40 to 50 demons coming through the Gate at Portal 4 under glamour spells. Muster the Quick Response Valkyrie Squad to report to Portal 4, Priority One. Lock down all security stations in Main Control and the Palace."

Alarms rang out all over the Main Control complex as security gates and doors dropped into place and Gods, Goddesses, and Valkyries ran to their stations quickly, but with well-trained calm. Ere was continuing to bark out orders to further secure Main Control, when she hit upon an idea. Playing on a hunch, she dialed up the Portal 4 outpost. "Portal 4, this is Ere at Main Control. Have you engaged the demon force, yet?"

Ere could hear alarms ringing in the background as Agneta's voice responded.

"No, Ere. The intruders have not made their way through the Gate yet. Estimated time of arrival, about 2 minutes. Whatever you have to say, make it quick."

"Send me a data dump on the Goddess Symbols that you encountered." I want to check something."

"Will do."

"Thanks."

About thirty seconds later, an encrypted message came to Ere's terminal addressed to her from Portal 4. It contained all the Goddess symbol signatures that appeared in the Portal 4 Gate Monitor. Ere pulled them up on her screen and studied them very carefully. Ere was very gifted in the ability to pick out even the tiniest details, and that gift paid off after a minute of intense scrutiny when she discovered that all the Goddess symbols, while fake, were based on one common genuine symbol with enough variations to the basic design so as to fool the Gate's sensors into thinking that they were different individuals. Ere was able to determine the common symbol, and she plugged that mark into the registration database.

"Well, I'll be..." she exclaimed when she read the search result. "Why does this NOT surprise me?" Ere pushed the results of her work up the line to her supervisors, while she continued to prepare for an invasion of Main Control.

Back at Portal 4. Agneta shut down her console, grabbed her axe, and hustled out of the security building to join her partner, Anni-frid, at the mouth of the Gate. They intended to hit the intruding force as hard as possible as soon as they materialized and were still trying to get their bearings. That moment would determine the outcome of the initial skirmish. If they could weaken the force enough in that first few seconds, they could possibly cause confusion in the demons, and push them back into the Gate, or at least buy enough time for the back-up to arrive.

Both Valkyries steeled themselves for a major fight. Two against at least forty were very tall odds indeed even for Valkyries as highly trained as Anni-frid and Agneta. While they were nowhere near Lind's level in terms of skills, they both ranked in the upper half of the force in terms of their magical abilities. Both Valkyries were known for their resolve and ability to not lose their heads in the thick of battle. That resolve would be tested to the fullest in the next few minutes.

Lights flashed in the sky as a low rumble signaled the opening of the Gate. A hole opened in the fabric of the Heavenly space and time dimension, and the Gate disgorged its contents. Both Valkyries uttered battle cries and charged forward, axes at the ready.

"You wanted some action, Agneta?" Anni-frid yelled.

Chapter 9

The demonic force roared out of the Gate, ready for action uttering foul oaths and their weapons and spells blazing, and the two Valkyries engaged them.

The demons looked as humanoid in form as their bosses Hild and Marller, and bore a similar resemblance to their foes, but one had only to look into their eyes to see that they were very different creatures indeed. Behind those eyes was a spirit of malevolence and hatred, they were programmed to perform one task: to fight. These were the shock troops. Essentially, they were shown their enemy and told to attack. They didn't know nor care about their foe, other than to defeat them. They were given just enough magic power to perform the most basic offensive spells.

The demons' advantage lay not in sophisticated tactics, but in overwhelming numbers, and blind rage. They knew only what they needed to know to defeat their enemies and nothing more than that.

Agneta drove into the force with no fear and slashed at the first demon she saw. She uttered a powerful spell that sent a blinding white ray of energy towards the demon. The monster blocked the spell, but did no more than a light attempt to strike back, sending a weak lightning spell that Agneta easily deflected.

Anni-frid noticed that the demon that she was engaging was also putting up no more than a token defense. The demons seemed like they were merely going through the motions of attacking and not putting their heart into it. Also instead of the expected forty or fifty demons, there were only ten.

Both Valkyries were still too engrossed into the battle to notice it at the time. Their Valkyrie blood and spirit flowing hot through their veins, they hacked and slashed and magic flew through the air as they hammered the intruders with all their might, but the demons continued to just put forth a basic effort to defend and brought forth half-hearted attacks. After only a few minutes, both Valkyries succeeded in driving the haphazard force back through the Gate. They spoke the Words to seal the opening and sent the demons back to Niflheim.

Anni-frid and Agneta looked at each other in confusion. "What was THAT all about?" Agneta said. "I've had basic workouts that were more intense than that!"

Anni-frid said, "I have a feeling that this was not what we thought it was. Those demons didn't even try to mount any real offense. I've battled demons before and they've fought much more viciously than that bunch of weaklings."

Agneta thought for a moment and said, "Do you think that..."

Anni picked up on her thought. "It could be...Get on the horn and warn Main Control!"

Agneta ran to the communications console and called Main Control. "Main Control, this is Portal 4. The intruders we encountered were a decoy. We think that the main force is targeting either your location or the Palace."

Ere at Main Control answered back, "Yeah, we've kinda figured that out already. The person behind this used a decoy force to draw the Quick Response Valkyries to your location, and then directed their main attack at Control and the Palace while they were gone. And there are much more than forty to fifty, it's more like a hundred. I did some digging behind those fake Goddess symbols. They are variations of one basic symbol. And it's not a Goddess Symbol, it belongs to a God. A very senior God on the Heavenly Council."

Agneta gasped, "Who is it?"

"Baldur."

"BALDUR?"

"I didn't stutter."

"Damn! I knew that he was very outspoken against how Kami-sama was governing Heaven, but I never suspected that he'd commit treason by consorting with Hild and taking over by force."

Anni-frid broke in, "He DOES know that the only acceptable penalty for treason is isolation for the maximum ten years, right?" She shuddered at the mention of the ultimate punishment. "That's a living death."

Agneta said, "Apparently he's willing to risk his title and his life for his cause. Can't say whether he's very brave or very stupid."

Anni came back, "Ere, how goes the battle where you are."

Ere said, "Main Control and the Palace are in full lockdown with all security stations fully manned. But strangely, the demon force seems to have completely ignored Main Control. They're more interested in the Palace. The Palace Guard has engaged them, and there are reports of fierce fighting. But the Palace's defenses are still holding. No casualties reported amongst the Valkyries, with only minor injuries reported. Hold on a minute...I'm getting word that the Heavenly Council has called an emergency meeting."

Anni-frid tried to speculate about what such a meeting would cover. Usually, the only time that the Council would call a meeting on an emergency basis would be if the reality of Heaven itself were under direct threat. Such threats would include an attack on Yggdrasil, or even... Anni didn't even want to think about the other possibility, the Eye of Heaven falling into Hild's hands. But the Eye was useless unless the Norns were summoned to cast the activation spell.

Deep inside a heavily protected chamber in the Palace, the Heavenly Council was in emergency session. On the docket was the decision to activate the Eye of Heaven and use its power against the demon invasion. The Council was in a heated debate and all the swords were out.

"No, no, no! The Eye should not be touched at this time." shouted a tall red-headed God named Ragnar. He was the President of the Council as well as the leader of the opposition to Baldur and his colleagues on the Council who advocated activating the Eye. "It is not necessary right now to take such a rash decision! The Valkyries have the matter well in hand. We should let them handle it."

A slender platinum blond Goddess named Freda sided with Ragnar. "We don't even know exactly what powers the Eye holds. None of us were born the last time it was used. I agree with Ragnar. To unlock the Eye's powers may do more harm than good."

One of Baldur's supporters, a large and stern God named Thorrson rumbled, "But how long can the Valkyries hold out? Lind is not even fighting with them. Speaking of Lind, where is she, and why is she not here leading her charges?"

Ragnar replied, "Lind has taken some personal time off. She went down to Earth to congratulate young Morisato for passing his God First Class exam." At the mention of the exam, Baldur made a disgusted face. "Why is she wasting precious time with that hybrid when the very existence of Heaven is in jeopardy! Recall her immediately!"

"The very existence of Heaven in jeopardy?" Ragnar snorted. "From a force of a hundred or so demons, and not particularly strong ones, I might add? I don't consider this modest force one that puts the existence of Heaven in jeopardy. Thousands, yes. But a mere hundred? I think that our dear Baldur protests too much.

"Besides, if Hild were truly bent on destroying Heaven, she'd be directing her forces at Main Control to take over Yggdrasil, not the Palace. Baldur, why are you so fixated on the Eye of Heaven? We've never needed it before in the defense of the realm. Most of us don't even know what it truly does. We've all heard rumors and fairy tales about the Eye, but no one except for Kami-Sama and the Norns knows its true purpose." Ragnar stared at Baldur through narrow slits for eyes. "What do you know? What are you hiding?"

At the same time Ragnar finished his question, the door to the chamber opened. A goddess wearing red robes of authority signifying that she worked in Main Control silently entered the space carrying a message cube. She wordlessly passed it to the nearest Councilor and before slipping away, whispered in her ear to pass it on to Ragnar. The Councilor, a ruddy jet-black haired goddess named Ase took the cube, nodded her head and passed it up to Ragnar.

Ragnar accepted the cube, excused himself from the table and headed to a corner of the room to read it with all eyes focused intently on him. None of the other Councillors bothered to ask him about the contents of the message, they respected Ragnar enough to not pry into his business and figured that if it were important enough to share with the group, he would do so as and when. But that didn't stop them from speculating and being curious. He mentally commanded the cube to open, and to insure that none of the other members of Council would read his thoughts, he screened access to his mind.

**Ragnar,**

** Main Control has received confirmation that the demon force attacking the Palace has entered Heaven under a glamour spell that is keyed to multiple variations on a single God symbol. The symbol is registered to Baldur. **

**Ere,**

** Main Control Duty Supervisor.**

Ragnar smiled as he thought to himself, _"Hmm, so that's why Baldur is so keen on activating the Eye of Heaven. He thinks that he can take over and enter into a power-sharing agreement with Hild by knocking Kami-sama out of power. He has no idea who he's dealing with. Hild will stab him in the back the first chance she gets. Still, this is proof of treason. Baldur's sure to get maximum isolation for this matter. The council can't let this go unpunished."_

Ragnar faced the council who were looking at him with questions in their eyes. Baldur had an especially inquiring look on his face. Did he have a clue as to what was on that cube? "Baldur," Ragnar said. "I'll give you a few moments to address the Council about your position regarding the Eye of Heaven, and then I'll ask you to please adjourn from the chamber so the Council can deliberate."

Baldur was a bit miffed at not being allowed to stay in the Chamber while council was still discussing the matter at hand, but he stood anyway and delivered his statement looking into the eyes of each member of council as he spoke:

"My esteemed colleagues of the Heavenly Council, despite the apparent confidence in our brave Valkyries' ability to quell this insurrection as demonstrated by my learned friend, Ragnar, I **do** feel that the existence of Heaven is in serious jeopardy. The presence of demon hordes attacking our institutions is but one sign of this problem. I point to the most recent events that have occurred in Heaven.

"One, a demon minion from Hild's empire was able to get past our security to access one of Yggdrasil's most critical systems. The result of that breach being that one of our finest goddesses, Belldandy, was critically injured in battle. It was only due to the quick actions of her sister, Urd and the superior healing techniques of Frigga's staff at our Treatment Center that she is back on her feet again, none the worse for wear.

"Now, I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention young Morisato's involvement in this action. It is true that he showed great courage in battling Hild and defending Belldandy after she was attacked, and he was successful in defeating Hild by using The Lava Wind Barrage spell which, by the way, is on the Restricted List, although Kami-sama forgave his transgression. But that's neither here nor there. I also give him credit for passing the First Class Exam on his first try, although one wonders whether having Belldandy as a proctor gave him an unfair advantage. For the time being, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

"But, my colleagues, I now come to the core of my concerns. Why should Morisato be placed in such a position in the first place? Why was he made a God? The Council and Kami-sama had the authority to stop the Song of the Goddesses before it completed the transformation sequence. Why did we allow this to happen? Why did we allow a human to become a God?"

Ragnar was growing impatient. "**This** is the gist of your argument? You have a problem with a human becoming a God? I believe that if any human should have been transformed, it should have been Morisato. He succeeded in saving Belldandy's life, and has made her happy beyond her wildest dreams. It was only right that he should be rewarded with Godhood as a result of all he has done for her, and for Heaven."

"Ragnar, please do not interrupt me again." Baldur said with barely contained fury. "It is taking all the poise I have to remain civil in these proceedings. But you have made my point. Morisato has no business being a God. He has upset the natural order of things here in Heaven. It is not natural for a Goddess to live as a human, and it is not natural for a human to have been made a God."

"Baldur." Freda said. "This was a one-time occurrence. The wish servers were patched to insure that the circumstances that led to Morisato and Belldandy contracting the wish they did, will not happen again."

"But why did Kami-sama allow this to happen in the first place?" Baldur thundered.

"Why did he interfere as he did and arrange for Morisato and Belldandy to meet? This is unprecedented. Never has Kami-sama done such a thing as long as he has been in charge? To me, this shows a lack of firm leadership on his part."

"Aha," Ragnar scoffed. "So this is the rub. Do I understand you correctly that you feel that there should be new leadership at the top? Are you saying that it is time for Kami-sama to step down?"

"I would not be averse to such an action." Baldur said matter-of-factly.

"Don't play coy, Baldur." said Ragnar. "I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. You want to take over leadership of Heaven. Somehow, you want to use the power of the Eye of Heaven to wrest Kami-sama from the throne and place yourself there in his place. Your motives are entirely too clear to misinterpret as anything less. I've always suspected that you've had designs on ultimate power. Now those suspicions have been confirmed."

Baldur gave a sly smile as he spoke. "Now, dear Ragnar. You're putting words in my mouth. I have only said that I would not be opposed to Kami-sama stepping down. I have **not** said anything about a forcible takeover, or using the power of the Eye to make such a thing happen. What proof do you have that I would wish to do such a heinous deed?"

Ragnar said nothing, but he thought to himself as he fondled the message cube in his hand. _"Oh yes, Baldur. I have plenty of proof. Enough to ruin your name, and cast you into isolation for a very long time."_

Chapter 10

The temple was quiet for a change. Skuld was hanging out in town with Sentaro. Urd was in her lab perfecting her latest potions, Lind was in the courtyard working on her advanced practice routine, and Keiichi and Belldandy had just finished their latest cuddle and squeeze session.

In order to insure that they were not disturbed whenever they had the urge for some quality time, Belldandy opened a pocket dimension in Keiichi's room that had the ability to hide the amorous couple from prying eyes. If anyone had walked into the room while the dimension portal was up, they would see nothing more than an empty room. However, within the portal, the two lovers had all the privacy they could ever want. They could not be seen nor heard, which was a good thing because Keiichi had found out since he started making love to Belldandy that she could be...rather vocal...whilst in the throes of passion.

While she had her nose in a grimoire of rare potions, Urd half-jokingly asked him whether Bell was a screamer or a moaner, and he replied, "Both." to Urd's unending delight, while Keiichi slunk away in embarrassment.

"That's our Belldandy for you", Urd chortled. "When she gets into something, she throws everything she has at it!"

"I know, I know. Don't remind me." said Keiichi. "Where's Skuld?, it's been a little too quiet around here, lately."

" She and Sentaro are at the park."

"Those two have been spending more time than usual together."

"Tell me about it. I think this might be the day that Sentaro kisses Skuld for the first time." Urd said dreamily. "I can feel love in the air."

"Don't you think they're rushing it a bit?" Keiichi asked with a hint of concern.

"So says the one who didn't kiss Belldandy for the first time until over three years after he met her! You're the one to talk!" scolded Urd. "Skuld will be fine. She's been in a surprisingly good mood lately. She hasn't screamed at me about anything, or threatened to blow up the temple in a while."

"True. Maybe some of Sentaro's patience is starting to rub off on her. I've always wondered, Urd. Other than Troubadour, you've never mentioned having any other men in your life. I would have thought that a Goddess as beautiful as you would have had Gods falling all over themselves."

Urd dramatically flipped her long platinum blond hair back, stretched her shapely bronze legs so Keiichi could get a good eyeful and purred, "It's about time you noticed how alluring and sexy I was. If you would have followed the program when I first came here, you and Belldandy would have done the deed a long time ago.

"Before Troubadour, I had my share of lovers. A lot of them stayed until they found out I was half demon, some stuck around precisely because of my demonic half and wanted to take a little walk on the wild side. But they were all fleeting romances. None of them really had what it took to keep me satisfied. The sex was great, don't get me wrong, but after a while, they all started to bore me.

"Some were intimidated by my stunning good looks, many thought that I was just a pretty face until they realized that I was a hundred times smarter than they were, while others were too shallow and vain to look beyond the nose on their faces. None of them were willing to devote their all to me. Until Troubadour. He was different. Sexy, funny, could sing like an angel."  
>Keiichi had to wince at that last statement. In his limited and traumatic experience with the plum tree spirit, he thought that Troubadour couldn't sing if his life depended on it. He knew at least a half dozen drunk karaoke singers at NIT that could sing circles<p>

around him. Maybe he sounded better in Heaven. Urd continued.

"Troubadour wasn't the smartest spirit I'd ever met. And he wasn't all that great in the sack, but at least he was completely devoted to me...or so I thought. He put one over on me when he decided to go after that damn Golden Nightingale, or whatever the hell kind of bird it was. And then he had the nerve to use my tears to unlock that scroll. I'm glad to see the back of him. Although he was the only man that I could ever get really close to." Urd sighed heavily as she thought about her ex-lover.

Keiichi said wistfully. "Belldandy told me why you get the way you do when the plum tree in the courtyard blooms. Do you think you might ever find someone to love?"

Urd teased, "Maybe I might steal you from Belldandy if she's not careful. I wouldn't mind seeing if you could make my toes curl as well as you do her's. But no, I'd never undercut my own sister. My standards are way too high and I'd rather treat men like my own personal playthings, to manipulate and do with what I please. Okay Keiichi, I have some important reading to do so I can get this potion just right, why don't you run along now, and I'll see you later." Urd dismissed him with a wave.

Considering that the Heavenly Council had voted down his request to activate the Mjolnir Device, It would be assumed that he had failed in his attempt to overtake the leadership of Heaven. But Baldur didn't see it that way. As he expected, his most loyal supporters had stood behind him, and the faction of the Council led by Ragnar that had solidly opposed Baldur had voted their conscience. But what did Baldur in were three swing votes that he could not sway to his side. They all voted against him and he was out of luck.

Baldur assumed that the Council would shoot him down, so long before he approached the Council or Hild for that matter, he had holed himself away in the Archives of Heaven reading as much as he could about the Eye and the Mjolnir Device. Predictably, there was not a wealth of information in the Archives about the Eye itself, but he did find a way to trigger the Device. The solution lay in the correct translation and recitation of the mysterious runes that were etched into the bronze disc. The problem was that the runes on the artifact were in a language that had not been spoken in Heaven for over ten thousand years. There was no one currently alive that spoke it, except maybe Kami-sama, and Baldur was certainly not going to ask the Almighty One to be a part of his own demise. The only way that he was going to solve this mystery was to learn the unusual language, or at least enough of it to decipher the runes.

Day after day, he spent every spare hour he had when not attending to his other duties reviewing old forgotten records that hadn't seen the light of day for millennia. Among the various bits of information Baldur came across were the history of the earliest years of Yggdrasil's operation, the creation of the Goddess Assistance Agency, and the first Valkyries. While that information wasn't related to his mission, he saved it anyway because he never knew when it would be of use.

The progress of translating the language was mind numbingly slow, and sometimes it took weeks before he was able to make the connections between a single word on the Device and the same word in the arcane records. Some days, he would be able to easily translate whole strings and fragments of the language, and others, he made no progress at all. And at the same time, he had to be extra careful about when he entered and left the archives so as to not arouse suspicions.

The Archives were not known to be a place that saw a lot of traffic, and a curious observer who saw Baldur enter and leave on a regular basis could get concerned as to why he was spending so much time reading dusty old tomes about a long dead language. But Baldur had nothing but time on his hands to make his move and Heaven wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. While he was considered just past middle age by Heavenly standards, in a realm where Gods and Goddesses were all but immortal and could live for thousands of years without showing significant signs of aging, a few months or years were as a drop of water in the ocean.

A lesser, younger deity would have given up long ago, but Baldur was convinced of the rightness of his cause. In his mind, he would overthrow Kami-sama, take over control of Heaven and instill his own sense of order. And if he had to separate Keiichi and Belldandy to do it, he would.

It was late in the afternoon, and Belldandy had finished tidying up in Keiichi's room. As was her habit, she wanted to make sure that everything was spic and span in whatever room she was in at the time. She was wearing one of Keiichi's t-shirts and a cute pair of shorts.

As usual, she was humming a tune that only she knew as she kept busy. She had the rest of her day planned out. After cleaning up Kei's room, she would start dinner, and then catch up on her reading. She smiled to herself as she thought about her life thus far. She was in love with a wonderful man who made her happy in all ways. Urd and Skuld are getting along a little better than usual. At least there hasn't been as much screaming as in the past, and there hasn't been an explosion coming out of either of the sister's labs in days. Her assistant's job at Whirlwind was as fun as ever with the unpredictable Chihiro bringing in new customers, and with Bell's wages added to Keiichi's, the couple were making just enough to insure that Keiichi didn't have to take on part-time work unless he wanted to. Which meant that he could spend much more time at home, keeping her company. Even the secret that had been persistently nagging in the back of her mind had stayed away. Everything was coming together better than she had ever imagined. She had just finished dusting one of Keiichi's shelves when it started...

The first thing to go was Bell's connections to Yggdrasil that concerned minor functions. The updates that tracked her performance metrics. The signals and data that tied into Yggdrasil's feed monitoring her current diagnostic status in Heaven as well as clearance for her license. The functions that were important to her well-being, but she had never given a second thought. These connections slowed down and then stopped. One by one, each of these updates that connected Belldandy to Heaven started dropping off-line. Noticing that her performance was becoming sluggish, Bell attempted to activate back-up connections, but those had shut down also.

The next to go were the ones that controlled Belldandy's magical abilities. She was losing control of those faculties that allowed her to fly and teleport through mirrors. She became frozen where she stood. While she could still walk, anything more wasn't possible. She lost the ability to channel the wind spirits or any other elementals for that manner. She tried to call for help by yelling for Keiichi or Urd, but her lips would not move and no voice would come forth. Panic roared across Belldandy's face as her life collapsed.

Next came the connections that governed her interactions with the world around her. She could no longer hear or feel the gentle breeze of the late spring day. Her eyes glazed over as her visual functions dimmed. Her remaining senses failed her as she stood there with a look of sheer terror on her face. Helpless, and not able to move. As her body continued to fail her, she was wondering what she did to bring this about. Was she being punished for some misdeed in her past? Who did she offend? What transgression did she commit? Why was Kami-sama allowing this to happen? The shutdown only took a few seconds, but to Belldandy, they seemed like an eternity of slow torture.

The connection that Bell shared with her sisters was next. The conduits of power that made the Norns what they were had disappeared, leaving them separated. The bonds she shared with Urd and Skuld dissolved, leaving the powerful siblings drifting and distant from each other.

The last function to go was the Sacred Coupling. The special bond she shared with Keiichi forged through the union of their bodies and souls and sustained by their all-consuming love. Belldandy cried as the memories and thoughts about Keiichi faded to grey. She no longer felt his love, nor his energy. The light that settled over her heart when the Coupling was first invoked became as a candle that reached the end of its wick. It guttered feebly and went out.

Belldandy was a hollow shell. Unfeeling, unknowing. A prisoner held captive in her own body. All senses gone. Thoughts and memories vanished. With one final effort, she attempted to access something, anything that could give her a clue about what had afflicted her, but all her senses, thoughts, memories, desires, and feelings were as an impenetrable fog of white noise. Was this how a goddess was supposed to die? Could there be no final appeal? Was it over? What about her sisters? What about Keiichi?

Belldandy was about to accept her fate, when one final function activated. Before her eyes which were blind to the world, words formed. No, commands. Low-level commands that she'd never seen before. She could not stop their execution...

**Low Level Shutdown Complete.**

**Restarting...**

**Activating Mjolnir Protocol.**

**Accessing Hidden Partition...**

**Searching...**

**Searching...**

**Searching...**

**Hidden File Found...**

**Opening...**

**Opening...**

**Checking File Integrity...OK.**

**Decrypting...**

**Decrypting...**

**File Decrypted.**

**Executing Mjolnir Command Functions...**

**Connecting to Command Beacon...Successful.**

**Starting Recall Protocol...Beacon Signal Satisfactory.**

**Override Protocol started...Control to all Internal and External Functions passed to Override Protocol...OK.**

**Issuing Recall Commands...**

"**Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License. YOU ARE TO PROCEED TO THE EYE OF HEAVEN! PROCEED TO THE EYE OF HEAVEN. INSTRUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW." **

In the remnants of Belldandy's mind that still functioned, the question called out: "The Eye of Heaven? What is the Eye of Heaven? I have never heard of such a thing."

The goddess had no choice. This strange programming called the Mjolnir Protocol had taken over her mind, and ordered her to go to the Eye of Heaven, whatever that was. She could not stop or resist the order of the programming. It was her all and her everything. Nothing else mattered except following this new and unfamiliar instruction.

She slowly started walking through the temple like a robot intent on fulfilling its limited command set. More like a shuffle than a walk. Eyes unseeing all that was in the temple except for the persistent orders telling her to go to the Eye of Heaven. Hearing not Keiichi and Urd speaking or Lind as she went through her workout, but the voice telling her to go to the Eye of Heaven. Voiceless. Unable to connect to Yggdrasil, or her sisters, or even to Keiichi, but only to the beacon telling her to report to the Eye of Heaven.

As she walked, the T-shirt and shorts she was wearing disappeared and her fleeting nakedness was replaced with her formal Goddess robes. The ones she wore when she first met Keiichi four years ago. The ones she wore when she was in Heaven or on official business with the Goddess Assistance Agency. She shuffled through the temple hearing and responding only to the voices and commands in her head telling her to perform but one function.

The shutdown hit Skuld as she and her friend Sentaro were at the local park. It was a great day to be out and about. They had spent the entire day together, chatting, eating ice cream, holding hands and goofing off like any young teenage couple would do. The relationship between the petite raven-haired goddess and her human friend had become much closer over the months. Because of her growing affection for Sentaro, her goddess powers had moved forward by leaps and bounds, and while she still had much to learn in terms of controlling her new-found magical abilities, she was making remarkable progress. Her sisters, Belldandy and Urd continued to challenge her by giving her more complicated problems to solve without the use of machines, but only by her magic, and she had passed them all with flying colors. Although, her obsession with creating more complex and elegant inventions could never be completely quenched. But on the whole, Skuld was becoming a competent and powerful goddess in her own way. She was still rather immature, impulsive, moody, and entirely protective of Belldandy, but not as much as before.

They were sitting under a tree along the riverside, feeding the ducks. Even doing this mundane activity had caused Skuld's already overactive imagination to click into a higher gear. She started thinking to herself about a more efficient way to feed the ducks.

She explained her idea to Sentaro, who scratched his head while looking entirely lost in the conversation.

"You lost me about five minutes ago. Explain that again." said Sentaro cluelessly.

Skuld threw up her hands in frustration at Sentaro's inability to grasp even the simplest technological concepts. "Honestly, Sentaro. If you can't understand something as simple as what I just said, how can I explain the hard stuff to you. You humans can be so dumb sometimes! And I thought Keiichi was an idiot!"

"He can't be too dumb. He has your sister, Belldandy."

"Don't remind me!"

Sentaro stifled a giggle while Skuld stewed. He said, "I like it when you get flustered. It makes you more fun to be around."

"You're weird."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"Sentaro!" Skuld whined.

"Wha-a-t?"

"I don't know why I put up with you."

"Because you think I'm cool?"

"Hardly."

"Why then?"

"Because you at least try to understand me. I get tired of Belldandy, Urd, and Keiichi always treating me like a little kid."

"But you are a little kid, aren't you?"

"I'm a lot older than you!"

"You don't act like it."

"I guess you're right. We goddesses age much more slowly than you humans do."

Sentaro slicked his hair back, plucked a blade of grass, and looked at it very closely.

"I don't know much about all that goddess stuff you and your sisters keep talking about. But I know that I like you, and I'm glad I met you. You're kinda cool, not to mention pretty cute."

Skuld blushed a deep red and said sweetly with a giggle of her own, "You're not too bad yourself...for a human."

The two looked at each other intently. Eyes locked on each other. The world receding off into another dimension leaving just those two on their own little island. Pulses quickening, hearts racing. They slowly drew closer to each other. Faces just inches away and closing. Lips pursed for that very first kiss. Sentaro, eyes closed, made his move, only to kiss empty space. He opened his eyes to see Skuld just sitting there, lips frozen mid-pucker, dead eyes locked on a point a thousand miles away. Not moving, nor speaking.

"Skuld?"

"Skuld?"

"Skuld!" Sentaro said loudly. No answer. He waved his hands in front of her face, no response. He snapped his fingers in her ears, she heard nothing. "Skuld, wake up! This isn't funny, you know" snapped Sentaro.

Skuld slowly rose to her feet as the Mjolnir command set took control of her body. She started to walk towards the lake. In a flash, she changed into her Goddess uniform. She hadn't even noticed she had done so.

Sentaro still kept calling out to the goddess with no luck. "Skuld, you're about to fall into the lake, you'll drown!" He tried to chase after her, but just as he caught up to her, a whirlpool formed at the edge of the lake shore. She stepped into the center of the vortex, and slid slowly beneath the surface. The swirling waters receded and became calm again. Sentaro stood at the very spot where Skuld stepped into the whirlpool, aghast at what he saw. He didn't know what to do. Should he call for help? Did Skuld drown? Why didn't she respond to his voice or his finger snapping? He looked around frantically in all directions hoping, praying that what he saw was merely his eyes playing tricks on him and that Skuld was actually hiding somewhere. But as he looked around with sign of the littlest goddess, he realized that Skuld truly was gone and that he wouldn't get that first kiss after all. At least, not from Skuld, anyway.

Chapter 11

Urd was still sitting in her lab, her head still immersed in her book of potions. She had been studying for a while. There was one potion she had been trying to master for years, but success had always eluded her. The potion demanded precise measures of ingredients and had to steep for just the right amount of time. Even one second off either way would ruin the elixir.

For all the elaborate preparations and exacting timing required to create it, the potion wasn't really the most powerful, nor did it do anything really spectacular, but the fact that it constantly stumped a Potions Master the likes of Urd irritated her to no end. Urd was a prideful and hugely self-confident Goddess, who boasted that she could create any potion in existence, and she could back up her cockiness in terms of her magical ability, but if she ever conceded that she was defeated by a minor potion, she'd never hear the end of it when she went back to Heaven on her periodic trips to perform system maintenance on Yggdrasil.

Even though Urd had become enamored with life on Earth, if for no other reason than to give Keiichi and Belldandy no end of grief, she was still a licensed System Administrator and while she liked to delegate as much of her work as possible to her minions so that she could goof off, there were still some tasks that only she could do.

So every once in a while, she had to take her leave of Keiichi and her sisters and travel back to Heaven to make sure that things didn't get all pear-shaped, as they tended to do.

But after checking with her assistants, who assured her that all was well with Yggdrasil, or at least as well as Yggdrasil could get considering its bewildering complexity and the constant patching and re-patching of its systems when things went ka-blooey, she gladly left the whole mess in their competent hands and went back to trying to solve the potion that had been giving her fits for such a long time.

She gathered up the grimoire and headed to her lab table which was chock-a-block with burners and beakers, solutions in unmarked bottles, and others that were in containers labeled in a code that only Urd could decipher. There were items that were perfectly safe as long as they weren't mixed with others, and others that were incredibly dangerous until they were mixed with others of their kind that made them harmless. Some ingredients could only be handled on certain days and during certain phases of the moon, and there was one powder that could blow up at anytime, under any condition. Or not.

The base of the potion had been bubbling merrily along on a burner for fifteen minutes, as the potion's recipe demanded. Urd carefully moved the potion off the heat and added precisely fifteen drops of Dragon's Tears, let the concoction sit for exactly 10 seconds and then dropped in a half measure of the Hair of Selipneir, Kami-sama's magnificent eight-legged steed. After stirring the mixture in a counter-clockwise direction for precisely one minute, as required, Urd then put the mixture back on the heat, and when it came back to the boil, she dropped in a tiny sachet of herbs and roots from plants she found in the temple courtyard, covered the beaker and stood back to watch its reaction.

The mixture turned a deep shade of red, and a sweet breezy smell filled the lab as it was expected to do if it was prepared correctly. There was only one more ingredient to add, and predictably, the most important. The Dust from an Angel's Wing. In order to get that precious substance, she had to call forth her Angel, World of Elegance.

The most striking of the Goddess Sister's Angels, World of Elegance was a true reflection of the nature of her Goddess. Piercing eyes, a voluptuous shape, a song that was as beautiful as it was haunting, and her most striking feature, she had one black wing, and one white wing, indicative of Urd's dual origins.

Urd remembered the day when her Angel manifested for the first time. She was so afraid of what she saw, that she commanded the Angel to go away and never come back again. And Angels are absolutely loyal and obedient to their Goddesses, so World of Elegance disappeared and never made another appearance again, until an incident occurred to threaten Skuld's life. And with the encouragement of Belldandy, Urd was able to summon her Angel again. From that day forward, she embraced World of Elegance and was never embarrassed by her again. But this time, Urd had to call forth World of Elegance to collect a minute portion of the Dust of an Angel's Wing.

The Dust wasn't dust as we on Earth would know it. It was a powdery substance that naturally collected on the wings of an Angel. When an Angel's wings were suddenly unfurled to their full size, the dust would fly off and interact with sunlight creating tiny sparkles of color in the air. The display was breathtaking. World of Elegance appeared, and swung her wing around to face Urd. With a tiny scoop, she gently brushed a small amount of Dust from her Angel's wing onto a card. Urd thanked her angel, who nodded her head in acknowledgment and returned into Urd's back. Gently, she picked up the card with the precious Dust and eyed it closely. She measured out half of the collection and carefully added it to the simmering potion. And that was the last thing she remembered doing, as her world slowly disappeared around her.

Like her sisters, Urd felt her body losing contact with Yggdrasil as connections and data links became severed. She became terrified as she started to lose control of her bodily functions. She tried ever trick she knew to regain control, but nothing worked. As she began to shut down and the Mjolnir Protocol took over, the last thought in her mind was "_Damn! I finally got the potion right, and this had to happen!"_

With no one to watch the potion and to take it off the heat, it immediately boiled over and a oily green smoke filled the lab, followed by an equally foul stench which enveloped the temple in no time. Keiichi, who was watching Lind do her workout in the courtyard, saw the smoke coming out of Urd's lab and immediately ran in to investigate.

As soon as he entered the lab, the smoke and odor overwhelmed him. "Urd!" he yelled. "Something's boiling over!, Fire!" He grabbed the smoking beaker off the burner, flinched until remembered that he was a God now and couldn't be burned, and threw the potion in the sink and ran water over it until the smoke cleared. He conjured up a simple wind spell to clear the room of the smoke and the smell. There was no other damage to the lab, but Urd was standing still as a statue, dead to the world.

"Urd!" Keiichi screamed. "What are you doing?" No response. "Urd, wake up! You had a fire in here. You have to watch what you're doing!" Still no reaction. Keiichi couldn't believe what he saw. Urd hadn't responded to anything he said. He waved his hand in front of her eyes. Nothing. He lightly slapped her across the face, a move that Keiichi knew would have surely gotten a him a slap back or worse, had Urd been conscious. But she stood there with a blank stare on her face. Keiichi shook Urd violently by the shoulders, but still no success in reviving her.

Then Urd turned to her left and started shuffling out of her lab, paying no attention whatsoever to the damaged equipment nor a frustrated Keiichi. As she did so, her tight fitting outfit disappeared and she was instantly clothed in her Goddess robes of authority.

Keiichi followed Urd as she slowly walked through the hallway, calling out to her, trying to rouse her and getting nowhere. At the same time, Belldandy had left Keiichi's room and started walking down the same hallway towards the courtyard. Keiichi saw his Goddess and was about to ask her about Urd, when he was stopped short by what he saw. Bell had the same blank look and same shuffling gait as her sister. He tried to awaken Belldandy, but like Urd, she wasn't responding. Urd and Belldandy met in the middle of the hall and Bell fell in behind Urd, step for step, two Goddesses acting as ghosts, silently obeying the commands of an unknown master.

Keiichi kept calling out after the sisters, who were silent as stone. He hit upon an idea. He tried to invoke the Sacred Coupling to see if he could help Belldandy on the magical plane. He held his arms out towards her, and concentrated on reaching out to the Goddess. But his connection with Belldandy looked and sounded much like the static and snow on a TV channel that was off the air. He tried to send a message to Bell, but couldn't get through.

The static was all but impenetrable, but after a few seconds of intense concentration, he could hear the tiniest hint of a signal trying to escape from the rush of the noise. Keiichi focused all his attention and powers on that one signal. As he concentrated, he visualized the various layers of static falling away, one by one. And as he did so, the signal became a little more pronounced. It started to stand away from the rest of the noise. Kei's head began to hurt as his level of concentration increased with the effort of trying to decipher the signal.

But the closer he came to hearing the content of the signal, the more power was needed to break through the wall of static. He had just about reached his limit, when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and at that moment, the level of ambient noise dropped suddenly and the signal became that much clearer. He heard words being spoken, but they were fuzzy and he couldn't totally make them out. It sounded like "E-y-y-y-y-e-e-e of H-e-e-a-a-v-v-e-e-n-n" There were a final few layers of noise between Keiichi and the mysterious words, but even with the boost of energy he received, he still couldn't be sure of what he was hearing. The hand on his shoulder gripped harder, and Keiichi could feel a renewed surge of power from an unknown source enter into his body. With that power came another voice.

"Keiichi."

"Yes?"

" It's me, Lind. Can you hear me?"

" Yes, I can. Can you hear what I'm hearing?"

"Yes. We have to push one final time. We're very close."

"Okay, let's do it. One, two, three!"

Keiichi pushed his mind forward for one mighty all-or-nothing surge, and coupled with Lind's power, the last layers of static melted away, and Keiichi finally heard the missing words of the communication.

"**Go to the Eye of Heaven!"**

Chapter 12

"Keiichi!"

"Keiichi!"

Hands gripped his shoulders roughly trying to rouse him awake. Sluggish and slow to respond. Keiichi's head was spinning and the silence of his room was even more disturbing than the static in Belldandy's head.

"Keiichi, are you all right?"

"Wha-who?"

"It's me, Lind."

It took a few seconds, but Keiichi was able to get his mental hard drive working enough to get his bearings.

"So what happened?"

Lind hovering over Keiichi as he lay flat on the floor of his room. Still dressed in her workout gear with looking worried. "You were watching me work out, and then you ran off. The next thing I know, I'm seeing you in the middle of the hallway with your hands on your head in pain. You weren't responding to my shouts, so I tried to access your mind. I heard what you were listening for. That's all I know."

"Lind, I had just come out of Urd's lab, there was something boiling over on the fire, and I went to check it out and I found Urd standing in the middle of her lab frozen solid, not moving or anything. I tried to wake her, but she wouldn't budge. Then she started walking down the hallway, and I saw Belldandy doing the exact same thing. They're not responding to anything I say or do. When I tried to perform a Sacred Coupling on Belldandy, all I could hear with your help was "Go to the Eye of Heaven. What does that mean?"

Upon hearing the words "Eye of Heaven," all the color drained out of Lind's face.

"It means that we're in a world of trouble." She said solemnly.

Lind immediately flashed out of her workout clothes into her white battlesuit. Her battle ax by her side. The Lind that was relaxing on a well-deserved vacation was replaced with the Lind that was back to her sworn duty as the leader of the Valkyries.

"Vacation's over."

"What do you mean? And what is this 'Eye of Heaven' thing?"  
>" We have to get going, find the goddesses and follow them."<p>

"Why?"

"I'll explain it to you on the way. Get a move on."

Keiichi jumped to his feet and chased Lind as she strode through the temple with a renewed sense of purpose and a stern demeanor in her presence.

Lind and Keiichi ran through the temple and ended up in the courtyard, where they found Urd and Belldandy standing there in the center of the yard, still oblivious to their circumstances and their surroundings. Even though they were lost in their own little world, they looked like they were waiting for something...or someone.

Lind told Keiichi, "Don't try to talk to them or wake them. They won't hear you. You were lucky to get the message you heard when you connected with Belldandy, that message is highly encrypted."

"I don't understand."

"I have only seen this once before." Lind said. "It is what's called the Mjolnir Protocol. Someone has activated the Mjolnir Device and are recalling the Goddesses to attend to the Eye of Heaven."

Impatiently, Keiichi said, "So once again, what is the 'Eye of Heaven?'"

"The Eye of Heaven is a powerful magical artifact stored in an Eternal Chamber under Kami-sama's throne room. Very few people in Heaven know it exists and even fewer know what it does, or where it came from. Belldandy and her sisters know what the Eye does, but that information is locked away in a part of their minds that is hidden by a blocking spell. That spell can only be lifted by another artifact known as the Mjolnir Device. When activated, the Device shuts down the Goddesses regular functions and replaces them with this Protocol which commands them to return to Heaven and report to the Eternal Chamber. Once there, the blocking spell will be lifted and the magic needed to activate the Eye will be released."

Keiichi said, "Then, what happens?"

Lind lowered her head and said balefully, "That I don't know. Despite being the head of the Valkyries, I'm not cleared to possess that level of knowledge. But if the Mjolnir Device has been activated and the Protocol has been put into place, there must be something seriously wrong in Heaven. The only entity that has the authority to activate the Device is Kami-sama himself. And that is something he never takes lightly. If he's forced to to do this, Heaven must be on the verge of chaos. Come to think of it, I'm surprised that I wasn't recalled back to duty."

Lind reached into a hidden pocket of her battlesuit and pulled out a message cube. She looked at it and said, "Hmm, no new messages. I'd have received a recall notice by now."

She ran a quick diagnostic routine on the cube which came up negative. "No problems with the cube." She said, puzzled."

Their conversation was interrupted with a disturbance in the courtyard coming from the direction of the koi pond. Lind and Keiichi watched as Skuld rose silently out of the waters of the koi pond. Neither Keiichi nor Lind could suppress a laugh as the littlest Goddess rose out of the waters with the same distant look in her eyes and her face in mid-pucker with a large water lily on her head. Skuld made no attempt to remove the plant as she climbed out of the pool and joined her sisters.

The trio stood facing each other as they raised their arms and intoned a low chant that summoned the Gate. With the usual show of lightning and clouds, the Gate appeared and swallowed up Belldandy and her sisters, and Keiichi and the Valkyrie jumped in after them just before the Gate could close.

At Portal 4, Anni-Frid and Agneta had just secured the area around their Outpost after their decoy attack by the demon force. They were still keyed up after the battle, even though they dispatched their opponents with ease. The Gate alarm went off again, and both Valkyries grabbed their weapons and hustled to the opening in anticipation of another attack. The Gate opened and the two soldiers braced for a charge when they were stunned by the sight of Belldandy, Urd and Skuld coming through the Gate one behind the other marching in step and not speaking or otherwise acknowledging the two guards. They were about to ask for Goddess symbols when they heard Lind call out, "Stand down and leave them be. They won't answer you."

Anni and Agneta immediately snapped to attention and rendered crisp weapons salutes to Lind who returned them with equal formality. "It is good to see you two again, Anni and Agneta. I apologize for not informing you that I was coming through. I'm just coming off vacation. It looks like these three have been activated by the Mjolnir Protocol." Lind said while pointing to Belldandy, Lind and Skuld as they continued to shuffle along slowly.

Anni said, "That might have to do with what's been going on up here lately." Seeing the clueless look on her face, the two Valkyries filled Lind and Keiichi in on all the recent happenings from the decoy attack at Portal 4, to the real attack on Yggdrasil's Main Control and the Palace to the revelation that the demons got through the gate via a glamour spell created by Hild and keyed to variations to Baldur's God symbol. As they filled in the missing pieces, Lind was getting angrier and angrier, though not with the guards, but with the organizational faux-pas that caused her to not be recalled and also that Baldur was behind this treasonous action.

With steely eyes blazing, Lind said tightly. "It doesn't surprise me that Baldur was behind all this. He's never liked Kami-sama, and has made his feelings known more than a few times. What irritates me is that I wasn't notified of these attacks. Whose in charge right now? And how is the battle going?"

Agneta said, "Helga is acting Head of the Valkyries at this time. And according to reports, the fighting has decreased as our forces have seized the upper hand. We have suffered a few injuries, but nothing fatal."

And despite her continued burning anger at the mismanagement of this situation, she still could not stifle a chuckle. "So they put Scatterbrained Helga in charge, huh? She's competent enough as a tactician, but she has no leadership skills whatsoever. I'm surprised she hasn't made a complete mess of this problem. Anni, get hold of Valkyrie Intelligence and Main Control and tell them that I'm back but to let Helga continue managing the defense of the Palace. I have to go on ahead and watch these Goddesses as they go to the Eternal Chamber, they have to complete the Protocol, or else they'll never regain consciousness. Besides, I've always wanted to see what the Eye does." Lind saluted Anni and Agneta again and called out to Keiichi, "Follow me, Keiichi, we're gonna find out what this whole 'Eye of Heaven' thing is all about...whether we want to or not."


	4. Part 4

Chapter 13

The road from the Outpost to the Palace in the capital city of Heaven wove through a pleasant countryside for approximately a half mile. As always, it was a bright and clear, sunny day in Heaven. Lind maintained a brisk pace as she and Keiichi continued to follow the Goddesses while they made their way towards the Palace. Keiichi was having a hard time keeping up. Lind's mood had settled down enough to ask Keiichi,

"Keiichi, that kiss I gave you after our date."

"What about it?", Keiichi asked warily.

"You didn't, uh, get into trouble with Belldandy over it, did you?"

"Why do you ask?"

" I kissed you because I wanted to show my appreciation for showing me around Nekomi and giving me a good time. I really enjoyed myself, and I couldn't figure out a better way to let you know how I felt."

"No, Belldandy didn't have a problem with it, although I did have to make it up to her." Keiichi said, immediately wishing that he could take back that last sentence.

"And how did you do that, may I ask?" Lind quipped.

"No. you may not ask." shot back Keiichi, blushing.

"Oh, ho-ho. I get it. So that's the reason why you were late to watch me work out." said Lind slyly. "You and Bell were having a little workout of your own!" she snickered as she gave Keiichi a poke in the side with her elbow. "You know, Keiichi. You're kinda cute. If you weren't already with Belldandy and I wasn't a Valkyrie..." Lind let that last part trail off.

They both looked at each other, paused, and shaking their heads together they said, "Na-a-a-ah!"

Keiichi laughed and said, "You're a little too hard-charging for me, Lind. I can barely keep up with you, as it is. Let's just stay friends. Deal?" He held out his hand. Lind shook it firmly as she said "Deal."

"If you want a boyfriend that badly, I can set you up with Aoshima."

"I think I made a lousy first impression with him."

"Other than Belldandy, you're the first woman he met who ever said 'no' to him. He might consider that a challenge."

"I'll give him a challenge, he'll never forget."

"I think you already did."

Both Lind and Keiichi had to laugh as they shared how Lind put the resident Romeo in his place. But soon thereafter, the mood shifted back to the task at hand.

"So Lind, where exactly is the Eye?"  
>Lind answered, "As I said, it's in a chamber under Kami-sama's Throne Room. However, due to its nature and the potential for destruction that the Eye poses, the only way into the chamber is by a dimensional portal. There is no physical door that leads to the chamber itself. It's completely sealed off from the rest of Heaven."<p>

Keiichi said, "So how will we get in?"

"The Norns will enter through the Mjolnir Protocol's command programming. We, however, will have to find someone who has access and will give it to us."

"And that would be?"

"Kami-sama, obviously. But our chances of seeing him are remote. The only other person that I know of who has access would be Ragnar, the leader of the Heavenly Council. He's the only one that Kami-sama trusts to this point."

"So tell me about this Baldur. What's his deal?", Keiichi said.

Lind paused for a moment before proceeding. "Baldur is the head of the Department of Examinations. That was the organization that sent you that message cube allowing you to sit for the First Class Exam. All examinations for Gods and Goddesses are approved there. Baldur runs that department with an iron fist. He has made it known for years that he doesn't approve of how Kami-sama is governing Heaven. He is also a senior member of the Heavenly Council and has spoken out against the leadership of the Council as well as Kami-sama repeatedly, and because he's only made lots of noise and little else, the Council listens politely and moves on to more pressing matters. But this time, he's taken action, and he wants to hold Heaven hostage. He has consorted with demons and plotted a takeover. Kami-sama will not let that pass."

Keiichi resorted to trotting along to keep up with Lind. Good thing for him that with his Godly powers came greatly enhanced endurance. "So what kind of punishment will Baldur face if he's found guilty?"

He got his answer right from the horse's mouth a second later. "A maximum sentence of ten years Heaven time in isolation and revocation of all rank and privileges." The snarky and snobbish voice of Baldur responded. "My, my, my. Look who we have here? The Queen of the Toy Soldiers herself, and it looks like, yes, the hybrid lapdog of the Goddess Belldandy, Keiichi Morisato." The words dripped from his mouth like caustic vomit.

Both Keiichi and Lind looked ahead to see their nemesis floating before them a few feet above the ground. But he was surrounded by a spherical blue force field, and his hands and feet were bound in front of him with thick red bands of light that acted as handcuffs. Flanking him were two unsmiling Valkyries carrying fearsome weapons. They were traveling in the opposite direction of Keiichi and Lind.

If Baldur was in custody, and was being transported to the Dimension of Outer Darkness where he would serve the harshest sentence that can be awarded in Heaven, the situation hadn't phased him at all. His attitude was still haughty and supremely confident. "Morisato, please forgive me for my rudeness. I believe that on your Earth, there is a custom of shaking the hand of a friend when you first meet them. I would perform such a quaint gesture as a sign of respect, but as you can see, I'm rather _tied up_ at the moment." Baldur snickered at his pun, even though he was the only one doing so.

Keiichi said casually, "That was quite funny, Baldur. So funny, I forgot to laugh."

Baldur said, "But I thought that Earthlings had a sense of humor. That's what I was taught in God training. Apparently, that's not true in your case."

"I have a sense of humor, thank you very much. But somehow, I don't find this current situation very amusing. What have you done to the Goddesses, what have you done to Belldandy?"

"Belldandy and the other Norns are safe and sound, Keiichi. Although they are not quite themselves these days. Oh, I am such a card!" Baldur guffawed.

"May I call you Keiichi, or Kei or even K-one, as I've heard it said?"

"No, Baldur." Keiichi seethed. "Only my friends can use those names. **You** can call me Mr. Morisato."

"Fine then, how about I call you just 'hybrid', or 'mongrel'? That's an accurate term for what you really are, Morisato." Baldur said. "Enough small talk. As you can see, I have been found guilty by a tribunal of my peers of starting a revolution against Kami-sama and the Council, and employing the use of demonic forces against the Palace and Main Control. These charming young Valkyries are merely making sure that I get to my destination in one piece. Aren't you, ladies?" Baldur said with utter disdain.

Both Valkyries looked upon Baldur with barely controlled fury, but their higher training prevented them from responding to Baldur's taunts. They stayed true to their duty and said nothing.

"Ahh, such obedient soldiers you have, Lind. They do exactly what you tell them, go where you want them to go and don't ever have to worry about thinking for themselves because you are there to do all their thinking for them. Isn't that right, Lind?"

Baldur's goading was getting on Lind's last nerve. No doubt, he was doing it to try and make her lose face in front of her subordinates as well as Keiichi. But she didn't want her underlings to see her lose her composure. She swallowed the taunts, but it was taking the whole of her powers to not break that force-field and give Baldur a well-deserved thrashing. But she couldn't resist taking a dig anyway.  
>"Baldur. Whatever will you do with yourself once you are placed in isolation? Floating in a limbo darker than night. No use of your senses whatsoever. Nothing to see, hear, or even taste. Your friends can't come to visit you. Oh wait. You have no friends, so nothing lost there. Just you all alone with nothing but your thoughts. I would say that the ordeal would drive you insane, but considering that you're more than halfway there, maybe it's just as well. I would pity you, Baldur. But you aren't worth my time."<p>

"Good try, Lind." Baldur snorted. "But, as usual, not good enough. Yes, the pain of isolation will be almost unbearable. But I will gladly suffer it knowing that the plan that I put into place will change Heaven as we know it." He looked at Keiichi. "And it's all because of you and Belldandy, my dear Morisato."

Keiichi glared at Baldur and rumbled, "What have you done to Belldandy, you bastard. I swear, if you've harmed her..."

"Settle down, Morisato." Baldur smirked. "You may have gotten lucky against Hild, but you don't have nearly enough power to stand against me. I would crush you in an instant. But because of my current situation, I'm feeling charitable. I'll leave you only with this. Ask your goddess about the secret she's been keeping from you since you passed the First Class exam. I know that as much as she hates withholding secrets, she doesn't want to tell you because she wants to protect you. She didn't tell me that, but I know Belldandy and I know the way she thinks. Always looking out for others at her own expense. How charming."

Baldur's statement brought Keiichi up short. He had seen it in her eyes, as well as felt it through the connection he had with Belldandy, the toll that secret was taking on her. He respected her wishes that she'd tell him when she was ready, and he knew that when the time was right, she would. But maybe it was time to force the issue, as much as he hated to confront Belldandy.

Kei's thought process was interrupted by yet another brash taunt by Baldur.

"Morisato. Keiichi." Baldur said almost in pity. "Maybe you don't know this, but no one wants you here. You don't belong here. Your presence in Heaven as well as your relationship with Belldandy may have started a chain of events that will end up affecting Heaven and Earth for centuries and eons to come. The fact that you and Belldandy are bound together in a Sacred Coupling has caused no end of concern in certain Heavenly circles. And the fact that Kami-sama allowed it to happen caused me to conclude that Kami-sama is no longer fit to rule Heaven. There is a place for humans and a place for Gods and Goddesses. The two have existed side by side each in mutual benefit of the other for all of time and your interference, however unintentional, has altered that coexistence..."

Keiichi cut Baldur off and roared, "What did I do? **Heaven, ** your realm, sent Belldandy to me with a wish. I made it, and it was approved. I had nothing to do with that. I can't help it that Yggdrasil allowed the wish to be granted. I can't help that Heaven's hierarchy didn't plan for the possibility that a human and a Goddess could live together and fall in love. Don't you dare blame me for the problems facing Heaven. I didn't ask for Belldandy to come to my dorm. I didn't ask to be made a God. I didn't ask to be approved to take the First Class Exam. Matter of fact, that's **your **department isn't it? I'm guessing you had something to do with setting up my exam. And I definitely didn't ask to be dragged into your idiotic plans. If you have a problem with Kami-sama, take it up with him and leave me and Belldandy out of it."

Lind stepped in between Keiichi and Baldur, and with an angry throat slashing gesture, said.

"Enough! Both of you! What's done is done." She turned to the two Valkyries escorting their prisoner and barked, "You two have your orders. Carry them out."

The Valkyries, relieved that some order had been restored, saluted Lind, and sounded off, "Yes,ma'am."

Lind returned the salute and dismissed the party. "Hurry, Keiichi. We've wasted too much time dealing with Baldur, the goddesses have almost reached the Palace. We need to find Ragnar and gain access to the Eternal Chamber. Any questions you have will be answered there."'

Keiichi was steamed that he let Baldur bully him around. "Dammit, that Baldur. I wish I knew what he was talking about."

Lind responded, "Don't let him get to you. Where he's going, he can't hurt anyone. Getting under people's skin is what he does best. Pay him no mind."

Chapter 14

Belldandy, Urd and Skuld reached the main district of Heaven. They were still walking down the street in single file, empty-eyed, and silent. Oblivious to all the beautiful and prefect scenery around them. All processes shut down except for the persistent command of the Mjolnir Protocol ordering them to report to the Eye of Heaven. Their presence and the way they were moving attracted a crowd of deities who had rarely seen the three Norns all together in one place at one time, much less in their current state. A few goddesses tried to talk to the sisters, but when they didn't respond, they backed away. Some were genuinely concerned about the situation, others took their non-response as rudeness and thought they were being stuck up because of their lofty status. If they only knew...

After a few minutes, the trio arrived at the Palace. A magnificent structure of unmatched beauty, which radiated power and authority. In a place where every structure was at the height of architectural perfection, the Palace stood alone. The Palace was the residence of Kami-sama, and also the headquarters of the Heavenly Council as well as the Great Hall in which the hearing concerning Belldandy's insubordination was held. In front of the Palace, Hild's demon force was still engaged in an ongoing battle with the Palace's Valkyries. The battle had been raging for hours and while the Valkyries had secured the upper hand, the sheer willpower of the demons insured that the fight showed no signs of ending quickly.

As the Goddesses arrived at the Palace, some of the Valkyries fighting stopped long enough to see them show up. Looks of confusion abounded, as the warriors wondered what was going on that the Norns of Time would show up. Their questions were answered when Urd raised her right hand and uttered a guttural stream of Words of Power. A blinding globe of pure ruby-colored light emerged from Urd's hand as she intoned the chant.

_Spirits of fire and limitless energy, arise and come to thy aid. Come forth in a mighty show of power and swallow up thine enemies. Send their profane presence away from this place of glory and return them to the world of their origin, the Pit of perdition, of evil and destruction. FOUL DEMONS, AWAY WITH YOU!_

Urd pointed her finger into the sky and slowly traced a line from top to bottom, as she drew, the fabric of Heaven separated along the line as if torn like a cloth. As the rip widened, all could see the dimension that lay beyond the tear. It looked hellish and forbidding with an eternal darkness that chilled the hearts of even the strongest God and Goddess present.

All those in the immediate area hurriedly drew back as to not fall into the breach opened by Urd. With her other hand, Urd pointed at the demon hordes and still chanting, she brought her hands together in a deafening clap. A tremendous suction issued forth from the tear with an infernal roar. The suction caught up all the demonic warriors and drew them towards the breach. The demons screamed in vile fury, grabbing for anything or anyone to escape the consuming wind. Their efforts were in vain, as they were all drawn into the portal. Not one demon was spared. One hundred of the strongest and most fearless shock troop Demons that Hild had assembled were thrown into the rip and sent back to Niflheim. The howls and oaths hurled by the demons reached a crescendo of pain and torture, and then stopped. The silence as deafening as the demise of the demons a second before. The rip immediately sealed itself up and with the exception of a few swords and some black blood on the ground, the area in front of the Palace was cleansed of all Demonic presence.

The interim leader of the Valkyries, Helga, had watched the whole spectacle eyes wide in utter disbelief. Never had she seen such power wielded by a Goddess. She quickly composed herself and barked out orders. "All Valkyries Stand Down! Return to the Command Center for debrief." While she was ordering her troops, she was thinking to herself, "_Okay, how do I explain this to Lind and the Council? They'll never believe me!"_

Meanwhile, as all this was going on, Keiichi and Lind had arrived just in time to see Urd open the dimensional portal and send the demons back to Niflheim. Both observed the situation slack-jawed and speechless. Lind was the first to speak,

"Okay, what did I just see?"

Keiichi replied with equal incredulity, "I have no idea. I'm still new to all this. It's like Urd just caused all those demons to be sucked right back into Hell. How did she do that?"

Lind said, "I'm guessing that the Mjolnir Protocol gave her the ability to do that. It probably didn't hurt that she's half-demon, and that only one with demon blood can cast a spell that affects other demons like that."Keiichi nodded in agreement.

Urd stepped back to face her sisters. She nodded to Belldandy, who returned the gesture. Other than Urd's incantation, not a word had been spoken by the goddesses since the Protocol had taken over their bodies. Try as he might, Keiichi could still not make a connection with Belldandy through the Sacred Coupling. Any attempts still came across as static.

Belldandy stepped forward to a spot in front of the palace. She raised her right hand over her head and in the same manner as Urd, traced a line in the air which opened the fabric of Heaven once again to expose another dimension. However, instead of the black and cold landscape of hell, this was a portal of bright lights. Brighter than even the purest lights of Heaven. The lights glimmered and shimmered in random flashes that captivated all present with their power and intensity. Belldandy turned and nodded to her sisters, and the onlookers gaped in astonishment as the three Goddesses began to enter the portal. Keiichi ran frantically towards the breach as he tried to enter the opening to follow Belldandy, but was forcibly restrained by Lind who grabbed him by the collar from behind and swung him around as she glared at him with cold anger.

She yelled, "Are you crazy, Keiichi? You don't go wandering into random dimensional portals like that!"

Out of breath, he cried, "We have to follow Belldandy and the others." as he pointed towards the portal. "We have to get inside the Eternal Chamber."

Lind said, "That's all well and good, but The Mjolnir Protocol set that portal up with a filter to only allow the Norns. If you had tried to enter, provided you survived the transition, you would have been sent to any of a hundred different dimensions with no chance of returning. You would have been lost forever. How would I explain THAT to Belldandy? Think logically, Keiichi. You're not on Earth anymore. This is Heaven. This place plays by its own rules. The only way we can get into that Chamber is to find Ragnar and convince him to let us in."

Keiichi settled down, slumped his shoulders and said, "I'm sorry, Lind. I lost my head for a moment. You're right. I still have a lot to learn about all this God nonsense."

Lind encouraged the distraught God, "Don't worry, Keiichi. I'll make sure you get Belldandy back. Count on me." She smiled as she that.

Keiichi tried to lighten the mood. "I want Belldandy. You can have Urd and Skuld."

"Sorry, Keiichi they're a package deal. Where Bell goes, they come along. If you want her, you have to take them too."

"Oh well, I tried."

"I know Urd and Skuld are a handful, and I admire your patience for putting up with them. But they and Belldandy are connected in ways that can't possibly be explained in the time we have. She wouldn't be what she is without them. And they wouldn't be what they are without her."

"Frigga told me the exact same thing. Maybe one day , I'll have to get Bell to explain it all to me. After all, as a God, I'll be around for a while."

Belldandy was the last of the three goddesses to enter the portal, but before she entered, she turned around to look directly at Keiichi. They locked eyes on each other, and for a split-second, in Keiichi's mind, the static lifted and he could hear Belldandy's voice call his name, _"Keiichi."_ He tried to answer, but the static resumed before he could form his thoughts. Belldandy's face still held that empty faraway gaze that came with the Protocol, but at least, she was able to lift the interference just enough to let her man know that she was all right. Keiichi lunged after his goddess again, but Lind held firmly and he yielded.

"You can't do anything for her right now, Keiichi. All we can do is let this play out. Then she'll return back to normal."

Chapter 15

Keiichi and Lind recomposed themselves, as they watched the cleanup crews dispose of the remnants of the demonic invasion. Because the weapons were cursed, they could not be handled directly by Gods or Goddesses, so the deities tasked to clean up had to use powerful spells to levitate the items and carry them off to be destroyed.

Before long, the area had been cleared of demonic residue and it was impossible to tell that a pitched battle between Valkyries and Demons had occurred just a few minutes before.

Keiichi and Lind were just about to enter the Palace to find Ragnar when a voice called out from behind them. A short, but still very trim and fit Valkyrie with bright red hair dressed in the standard snug white Valkyrie battlesuit ran up to Lind and saluted.

"Interim Commander Helga reporting, Lind." she sounded off.

Lind returned the salute, "Helga, report." She said briskly.

"The status of our wounded is favorable. We sustained some injuries, but none too serious or fatal. They are receiving treatment at our medical facility, and expect to make full recovery within the next few days. Our defense of the Palace and Main Control was successful, as no demon was able to breach our lines. Obviously, we were not expecting help from the Norns, and we appreciate the assistance. Their involvement in Valkyrie affairs is very rare. Why did they render aid as they did?"

Lind said, "The Norns were not acting in their usual capacity. The Mjolnir Device was activated by Baldur. They were acting under the Protocol."

Helga's eyes became as large as plates. Her professional manner dropped. "Wow, they're under the Protocol. I've never seen that before." She turned to Keiichi,

"Please forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Helga, Goddess First Class, Special Duty License, Class 8." You must be Keiichi Morisato. We have heard quite a bit about you in the Valkyries. You have shown much favor with Lind, and you have our respect."

If Keiichi could blush in his full God form, his face would have turned as red as a stoplight.

"I'm not quite sure what I did to earn the respect of the Valkyries, but I will make sure that I don't do anything to lose it."

Helga said, " As long as you stay on Lind's good side, you're all right with us."

She turned her attention back to her senior. "Will you be coming along to debrief the force, Lind?"

Lind answered, " Not now. I have to get Keiichi into the Eternal Chamber to witness the activating of the Eye of Heaven. We have to see what's going to happen. Once I'm satisfied that matters are under control, I'll be along to conduct the debrief. Order our forces to continue the stand-down and pass along my congratulations on a successful mission. You have your orders, Carry on."

Helga saluted a final time and ran off.

Keiichi said, "You called her Scatterbrained earlier. She didn't seem too scatterbrained to me."

Lind said. "She has her moments. She's competent, but her leadership skills are a bit below standards. But she wields a Class 8 weapon, and there aren't many Valkyries that have reached that level of mastery. And this battle was against shock troop Demons whose tactics are so simple, that even one such as Helga can't screw up mounting an adequate defense. Beyond knowing where and how to deploy her troops and making simple adjustments as needed, there were any number of Valkyries that could take charge of this mission and see it to success. This will give Helga some needed help improving her leadership abilities. But enough of her. We need to get a move on."

Keiichi and Lind reached the entrance to the Palace. They showed their Symbols to the guard at the gate and were granted access. Walking through the vast halls of the enormous Palace, Keiichi remembered the last time he in this place. It was the time when he and the other Goddesses had to accompany Belldandy to her hearing before Kami-sama and the Heavenly Council.

He remembered the Council Chamber being as large as a football field with every Goddess in Heaven looking on. He remembered the insults and rude comments made by the Goddesses.

He also remembered shocking them into silence when he revealed that he could hear what they were saying and that he wouldn't let their attitude affect his relationship with Belldandy.

Of course, later on, those same Goddesses who derided him ended up praising him in the Song of the Goddesses that transformed Keiichi into a God.

As he and Lind passed the Council Chamber, Keiichi couldn't resist opening the door and peeking inside. What he saw surprised him. Instead of the cavernous space with the sky-high ceiling and seating for tens of thousands, there was just a brightly lit room no bigger than a conference room on Earth with a nothing but a simple oval table and chairs. The table and the chairs had no legs and floated in mid-air, and like all rooms in Heavenly buildings, was spotlessly white and lit with no visible light source.

"This can't be the same room where Belldandy had her hearing, is it?" He asked Lind.

She took one look inside the space and said, "Yes, this is the same room."

"But, but..."

"Keiichi, that room can be re-sized to fit the needs of the Council, it's in a pocket dimension separate from the rest of the Palace. The whole building is full of rooms just like this one. Like I told you, Keiichi. Heaven plays by its own rules, especially with its use of dimensions. There are at least ten dimensions that we know of, and even more that our scientists are exploring."

"Exploring, isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"Yes, occasionally one or two accidentally fall into an unexplored dimension and we have a hell of a time getting them back." Lind said with borderline casualness. "That's why I yelled at you when you tried to follow Belldandy. You have to be extremely careful when dealing with alternate dimensions."

Keiichi still couldn't get his head wrapped around how a room that small could be expanded to the size that he remembered. He was even more confused when he opened the door to the next room and saw that this space, instead being the size of a mere boardroom, was larger than a canyon and had a ceiling so high that he couldn't see it. The room was hundreds of feet long and just as wide, and in the exact center was a podium and in front of it, was a simple prie-deux. There was nothing else in the room, which enhanced the tremendous size of the space. And it too was lit with a pure white light and no sign of fixtures.

"That is the Commissioning Room." Lind said. "The ceremonies where Gods and Goddesses receive their license to practice for the first time is held here. This is the room where Urd, Skuld, I, Belldandy and every other Goddess received their authority to operate. Every Goddess in Heaven showed up to see Belldandy receive her First Class license. Usually only a Goddess's friends, family and co-workers attend a Commissioning. That was a rare day indeed."

"Why was that?" Keiichi asked.

"Because no other Goddess had ever shown the potential for greatness that Belldandy showed. Here in Heaven, Belldandy is a role model for most Goddesses. No other Goddess had ever achieved the scores she had earned in her studies. No Goddess could sing, or fly, or work magic like her. Belldandy is a Goddess that only comes around once in a lifetime. And despite all the accolades and praise heaped upon her, she's never let it get to her head. She never showed even the slightest bit of false modesty. If anything she seems a little ashamed by all the attention.

"What you see with Belldandy is what you get. She treats everyone she meets the same way, with dignity and respect, no matter their station." As Lind said this, Keiichi could detect the tremendous respect that she had for Belldandy in her voice.

Lind continued. "With the status she has, Belldandy could reach the highest levels of Heavenly society. Instead of working for the Goddess Assistance Agency, she could be running it. She could hold a senior position on the Council, or even preside over it. She could have her pick of choice positions in Kami-sama's administration. But she turned it all down to become a field goddess in the Agency."

Keiichi was floored to hear this revelation, but to a certain extent he knew why his Goddess would do such a thing. But he asked the question anyway to hear Lind's answer.

"Lind, why would Belldandy sell herself so short?"

Lind said, "I think you know the answer to that question. Because the one thing that Belldandy lives for, the work that she loves to do more than anything, is to make people happy. And what better way than to grant them their fondest wish. Bell has no heart for politics or conflict, she'll fight to the death for what she believes in if she's forced to. But she doesn't want to mess with all the deal-making and arguing and negotiating. And being a Goddess First Class, she's forbidden to lie, so she'd be lost working on the Council or anywhere else she'd have to bend the truth. She just wants to be happy, and to make those around her happy.

"Besides, being a field Goddess isn't a trivial matter. They can be flighty and difficult. You've seen that with Peorth. But they have an important job to do. The contracts they make with humans give us Gods and Goddesses the power to do what we do. Some of the wishes humans come up with test a field goddess's patience and ability to the fullest. Occasionally a few crack under the pressure. In many ways their job is harder than mine."

That point resonated with Keiichi. After all, it was a crazy wish that he made in his dorm room that resulted in him being where he is and who he became.

He wondered what would have happened had another Goddess granted his wish. Like Peorth, for instance. He shook that thought out of his head as it was too painful to contemplate, given his previous dealings with the Rose Goddess.

Lind went on with her explanation. "It was that the powers that be, expected Belldandy to rise above being a field Goddess and take on a more prominent role. They dropped subtle hints to her, dangled more prestigious offices in front of her, but in her own unassuming, but decisive way, she went ahead and did her own thing. But she's content to let others do the leading while she focuses on making people happy. And she's very good at it."

Keiichi seconded that statement. He remembered when he and Belldandy were walking past the Agency building and she explained to him her job. He remembered going over to a nearby data screen and checking her statistics. As he expected, she had led the list in most of the categories that field Goddesses were judged. She had earned every award available, but she never accepted them. She needed no incentive to excel at her job, she did it simply for the joy she felt in making human wishes come true. She loved to see the smiles on their faces when she carried out an assignment to their satisfaction. And despite being sent on missions that weren't always pleasant, Belldandy never let that bother her. But the most important thing was how her eyes lit up, and how she looked when she succeeded in making Keiichi happy.

And he so missed that smile and that look, and that loss motivated him to push ahead to get to the bottom of this Eye of Heaven business.

It had only been a few hours since the Protocol took over Belldandy and her sisters, but to Keiichi, it felt like weeks. Right now, all he had was an empty shell that took orders from an unfeeling computer program. He continued to think about what Belldandy had meant to him, until Lind shook him awake from his day-dreaming.

"Keiichi. Snap to it. Here comes Ragnar."

Ragnar was walking down the wide hallway with his colleagues on the Council following close behind. He was chatting easily with his co-presider, and the other members of the Council were adding bits and pieces to the conversation.

They had just finished their tribunal presided over by Kami-sama where they found Baldur guilty of consorting with Demons, and attempting to overthrow the administration, and predictably, Kami-sama not only threw the book at Baldur, but hit him upside the head with it as well.

Normally, it pained Kami-sama to sentence a Deity to isolation for even the minimum thirty days because he knew what toll it took on the unfortunate soul. But he had no problem with awarding the harsh sentence to his nemesis not only because of the treasonous actions of Baldur, but to also make an example of him to serve as a warning to others thinking of rising up against Kami-sama.

By and large the overwhelming majority of residents of Heaven liked the way Kami-sama ran things. He was, for the most part, a very fair ruler who just wanted to preserve the status quo, and keep as many people as happy as possible. He didn't suffer rulebreakers gladly, and was very quick to punish them, sometimes rather severely. It was only because of Belldandy's status and her popularity, and the way she stood up to him, that he relented and gave her a hearing when she disobeyed his order.

The tribunal was pretty much an open and shut case. Baldur presented as his defense his belief that allowing Keiichi to become a God set a bad precedent, and that the action proved that Kami-sama was no longer able to act as the Supreme Ruler. He didn't admit to consorting with demons, but he hadn't denied it either.

Somehow, he deluded himself into thinking that by going along with Hild and allowing his God symbol to be used as the basis for the glamour spell that let her Demonic force through the Gate, he figured that the goddesses that ran Main Control as well as the Valkyries that watched the Portal weren't smart enough to see the ruse.

But he hadn't counted on Ere's sharp eye for detail. During the trial, he smugly maintained that there was no evidence that proved that he was the culprit. But that smugness turned to desperation, when Ragnar revealed the message cube that was sent to him from Ere. Then Ragnar produced a mysterious golden disk, that when played back showed audio and video of Baldur and Hild in her boardroom speaking about his plan to take over Heaven, and requesting Hild's assistance. As soon as Baldur saw that incriminating disk flash into view, he knew that any chance of his acquittal was gone. He was tempted to ask Ragnar how he came across the disk, but he knew that by doing so, he was revealing his knowledge of it. But either way, the conspirator's fate was sealed.

At that point, with irrefutable evidence stacked against him, Baldur had no choice but to cop to the crime. But in an effort to save face, he defiantly told the Council and Kami-sama that his punishment would be a small price to pay to see his ultimate plan succeed.

When asked about what that plan was, Baldur refused to comment, other than to say that it was for him to know and for Ragnar and Kami-sama to find out.

The Tribunal then went into judgement phase, where unlike Belldandy's hearing, where Kami-sama relinquished his right to pass ultimate judgement and to abide by what the Council decided, in this case, his word was final. In past proceedings, he had always been able to keep his disposition strictly neutral, even though he may have had utter loathing or even sadness and pity for the accused.

But with Baldur, he allowed himself the privilege of unleashing his rage. In a blistering tirade, he railed against Baldur with a fury that none on Council had ever seen before.

There were some Councillors that actually thought that maybe Baldur was right, maybe Kami-sama was losing his grip.

But in the end, after his rage was spent, Kami-sama calmly passed judgement: Guilty. The Punishment: Banishment to the Dimension of Outer Darkness for ten years of isolation.

Baldur sat stone-faced through the verdict and the sentencing. A stubborn and prideful God, Baldur wouldn't allow Kami-sama the victory of seeing him flinch or break down. He remained silent and defiant even as the Valkyries arrived to place him in custody and led him away.

After the trial was completed, Kami-sama called Ragnar aside and in a voice that reflected the seriousness of what he was about to say, whispered, "A word, Ragnar."

Both he and Ragnar retreated to a corner of the conference room where the tribunal was held. A couple of the Councillors observed the Almighty and the Leader of the Council breaking off for a private conversation, but they dared not even speculate about what was being said.

Kami-sama was the first to speak. "Ragnar, as my trusted friend and Leader of this Council, it should not be necessary to impress upon you the importance of finding out what Baldur's plan is. Am I correct?"

Ragnar answered, "Of course, My Lord."

"I am making a request of you." Ragnar immediately gave his full attention to Kami-sama because he knew better than anyone, that when Kami-sama made a 'request', only a fool who had no interest in keeping his standing within the administration would treat such a 'request' as anything less than a full-on command.

"I am requesting that you take on the responsibility of finding out Baldur's plan and making sure that it doesn't happen. I will give you whatever authority, magical or otherwise, you need to carry this out. Take as much time as you need, but it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

Ragnar answered without hesitation, "Yes, My Lord." He understood the hidden message behind Kami-sama's request. While the Almighty One said that Ragnar could take as much time as he needed, what he meant was that he wanted it done yesterday.

Kami-sama continued, "It is also requested that this investigation be carried out with the utmost secrecy. This cannot be allowed to get out. We don't need any more usurpers trying to build on Baldur's attempt to subvert me. Right, then. Off you go."

Before leaving, Ragnar said, "Consider it done, My Lord. But one last thing. How did you come into possession of that disk?"

Kami-sama allowed himself a rare smile. "It just arrived in my throne room." He tipped Ragnar a sly wink, and said no more.

Chapter 16

Lind and Keiichi respectfully approached Ragnar, and waited for him to acknowledge their presence. Ragnar had been leader of the Heavenly Council for many years. He was known for his even-handed temperament and his ability to wring consensus out of what could be a very prickly and strong-willed group.

Instead of trying to bully the Council into accepting his views, he allowed each party to present their case, and he would gently attempt to refute their argument with one of his own. More often than not, he would prevail, but even when he lost, he was courteous and respectful, and he had the respect if not outright admiration of even his staunchest opponents.

But to confuse his calm approach with weakness was a fatal mistake. Ragnar could cut and thrust with the best, and more than once, an opponent of his who attempted to duel with him found him or herself floundering as he quietly and methodically dissected their logic with laser-like precision. He seemed born to the job, and he enjoyed it immensely.

Noticing Keiichi and Lind standing there, he dismissed his colleagues, and came over to where they were standing. "Goddess First Class Lind, Leader of the Valkyries. It is an honor to see you again." Ragnar said as he saluted Lind.

Lind returned the salute, bowed slightly, and responded, "God First Class, Ragnar, Leader of the Heavenly Council. The honor is mine." And pointing to Keiichi she said, "And may I introduce God First Class, Keiichi Morisato. A Friend of Heaven and Companion to the Goddess Belldandy."

Keiichi, who was still very unaccustomed to being referred to as a God much less one of equivalent rank as the Leaders of the Valkyries and the Heavenly Council, and not being familiar with the protocol of meeting Dignitaries of Heaven, didn't know whether to bow, shake hands or kneel, so he did all three. "Ummm, God First Class Ragnar, it is an honor to meet you." he mumbled as his head grazed the floor of the Palace Hallway.

Ragnar took one look at Keiichi and laughed.

"Keiichi, please get up." Ragnar said with the utmost respect as he helped Keiichi to his feet. "It is not necessary to bow to me. We are equals in rank. If anything, the honor is mine. Your exploits are the talk of all Heaven. One doesn't earn the love of the brightest star of Heaven, become the first human to achieve Godhood, and pass the First Class Exam on his first try so soon after taking up his powers, every day."

Keiichi said, "Please forgive me, I'm still not used to the whole God thing. It's still very new to me."

Ragnar responded, "I can understand. Though I cannot possibly empathize with you. I was born a God, and everything about Godhood came naturally to me. But you, you were born a human and had Godhood thrust upon you. To have such an tremendous change in your life put upon you with little preparation must have been traumatic, to say the least. I for one, wish that we can make more humans into Gods and Goddesses, it might liven the place up a bit with some fresh blood and new ideas."

Keiichi started to agree with Ragnar until he thought of some of the more troublesome people in his life achieving Godhood, and quickly pushed the idea out of his head.

Keiichi said, "Well, it doesn't hurt that I love one Goddess and live with two others. Belldandy has made it much easier to see things as a God sees them."

Ragnar added, "And by letting Belldandy experience the human perspective, I'm sure that this has made her into an even more valuable Goddess to Heaven."

"I believe it has, sir."

"Oh, please. Call me Ragnar. I assume that you and Lind are here about the recent trouble we've had with the demons, and what not?"

"Yes, Ragnar. We are also here because the Mjolnir Protocol has been activated and Belldandy and her sisters are about to activate the Eye of Heaven."

Ragnar said, "I am familiar with what has happened in that situation. I have just finished with Baldur's Tribunal. A very sad outcome. But, Kami-sama can't have people attempting to overthrow him and not respond to it."

Lind spoke up. "We just happened to meet Baldur as we were headed towards the Palace a little while ago. He told us about the trial."

Ragnar reacted with mild surprise. "Oh?, So what did he tell you? Did he try to spin it so he was just an unfortunate victim who was exploited by Hild?"

Lind recounted the conversation that she and Keiichi had with Baldur on the road.

Ragnar stroked his chin and said, "Well, the way he explained it is just as it happened here."

Keiichi added, "But he also said that Belldandy had something to do with his ultimate plan. She had been hiding a secret from me for a while. And while I've respected her wishes and not forced her to tell me, I really want to know what she's hiding and how all this ties together."

Ragnar said, "That's odd, Baldur never mentioned Belldandy in his testimony."

Lind responded, "So what we need now is access to the Eternal Chamber so we can see the Eye being activated, as well as get to the bottom of Bell's secret. And you are the only other person in the administration that can grant that access."

"Well, that's certainly within my ability. I will grant you access, as long as I can accompany you. I too, wish to see the power of the Eye of Heaven. But I must require you to keep secret anything you see or hear within the Chamber. The fewer who know about the Eye's true power, the better. If we can solve this mystery without alarming all of Heaven, it will save us a lot of trouble in the end."

Lind asked, "Do you know what the Eye's true power is, Ragnar? To place such an artifact under such tight security must mean that its power is immense."

Ragnar answered with a faraway look. "There have been many rumors about the power of the Eye of Heaven. Some say that it can affect time. Others say that it has the original Divine Spark that formed Heaven and the Universe. There's even one that says that it is the only thing that Kami-sama truly fears. Whatever that is. But no, I am as clueless as to the Eye's power as you are."

Keiichi spoke up, a little more boldly than intended. "I find that unusual, that someone as high up in the administration as you, doesn't know about the true power of the Eye.

If Ragnar was upset at Keiichi's statement, he didn't show it. "Keiichi, you must understand that Heaven holds many, many secrets. Many of which are only known to those of much higher station than I, and there are more than a few that are known only to Kami-sama himself. He hasn't told me because I haven't had need to know. But if there is a plot afoot to disrupt Heaven, then it's important that I, as the Leader of the Heavenly Council, must get to the bottom of it."

But Keiichi's curiosity would not let Ragnar get away with his evasion. "I mean no disrespect, Ragnar, and forgive me if I speak out of place, but if you don't know the Eye's true power, why are you the only one other than Kami-sama who can access it? Haven't you ever been tempted to go to the Eternal Chamber just to see it, much less experience its power?"

Ragnar looked Keiichi in the eye as he spoke. "The temptation has been great, Keiichi. Sometimes, more than I can bear. But the fear of the unknown has tempered that desire. If the Eye of Heaven is as powerful as I think it is, no one person would be able to control its power. It may even eclipse Kami-sama himself. To let that power loose would destroy all that we have built over the vast eons of Heaven's existence. But it's also as important to safeguard Heaven from whatever plan Baldur put into place. And since the Eye is the centerpiece of that plan, I have no choice but to come with you, and lend my aid where I can."

Keiichi didn't seem completely satisfied with Ragnar's answer, but he didn't want to alienate the one person who stood between him and getting Belldandy back.

"Okay." he said. "Let's get going. How do we access the Eternal Chamber."

Ragnar said grimly, "Follow me, and do exactly as I say. We must pass through a special dimensional portal. It must be accessed in a specific way and with the correct actions performed. Otherwise, the system will send us into a random dimension that would be impossible to return from. We would be lost forever. The protocol used to access the Chamber is very unforgiving of mistakes. And we only get one chance to do this right. And finally." Ragnar ominously warned. "Once we start, there is no going back. We can only return to this dimension after we're done with the Eye." He looked squarely at Keiichi as he said, "If you have any reservations about what we are about to do, you can back out now, and no one will think any less of you. It's only fair to warn you about the potential danger you may face."

Keiichi needed no time to respond. "Ragnar, I accept the danger I'm about to face. Getting Belldandy back means more to me than anything on Earth or Heaven. I live for her and will die for her, if need be."

Ragnar smiled warmly and clapped Keiichi on the shoulder. "Spoken like a Friend of Heaven and Belldandy's Companion. Let's go."

Chapter 17

Goddess Second Class, First Category, Limited License, Ex walked into Main Control and took her seat at her console. As an Assistant System Administrator, Ex's job was to monitor the functions of Yggdrasil and to generally keep the hopelessly complex computer from doing nasty things to the Universe, like turning it inside out.

It was not easy work. Yggdrasil was running at full capacity at all times, and new systems and software had to be added on the fly. And because of the numerous conflicts between the software and the hardware, bugs were always a major concern.

And while sections of the system could be brought down for maintenance as needed, the whole system could never be shut off, because to do so would cause all of Heaven and Earth to be affected in ways that no sane God or Goddess wanted to fathom.

Something akin to utter destruction. So systems, and back-ups to those systems, and back-ups to the back-ups were employed to insure that Yggdrasil was always running, if not always at peak efficiency.

Yggdrasil's programming consisted of ultra-complex multi-dimensional code bound together with layer upon layer of very old and very powerful magic. And between the magic and code layers was an Interface layer that served to allow the code and magic layers to work together. Most of the magic used to keep Yggdrasil together was cast back when the system was first started up millions of years ago. And occasionally those spells needed a refresh with new power. Or a layer of magic had lost its power completely and had to be replaced with new spells. New code was always being written to replace old and inefficient code, and care had to be taken to insure that the old stuff would work with the new.

Sometimes, either through bad programming or simply because of the often unpredictable nature of magic, the various layers would conflict with each other, and at the very least would cause a colorful, but scary light show, or at worst, a spectacular code failure that required either some or all of the affected code to be re-written and the magic reset.

And that was Ex's primary job. She was one of the Goddesses responsible for writing and testing new code. She was very good at it. Each Goddess who wrote code had a particular style that set their programming apart from the others, and Ex's code was no exception. Her code was extremely elegant and ruthlessly efficient. Many who saw her work likened it to fine art. Ex had the ability to tease through the most tangled programming flows and straighten them out with little rewriting. She possessed the limitless patience needed to wade through battered and hacked together code and make it all seamless and clean.

But as all sysadmins, Ex had to take her turn assuming all the roles of keeping Yggdrasil operating, and that also included shifts in Main Control doing general maintenance as well as monitoring systems. She would rather have stayed in the Programming Section working on her latest low-level system code, but her name was on the duty roster and as a qualified sysadmin, she had to pull regular shifts in Main Control as well as her normal job. She didn't complain, though.

Ex knew that she could get wrapped up in her coding to the point that she'd cheerfully work days and even weeks on a problem without a break. So any chance to get away from the the coding desk and spend time in Main Control chatting and catching up on the latest rumors and gossip were welcome.

She logged into her console using her Goddess symbol, and checked for new messages. Nothing out of the ordinary there. She then checked her list of assignments due to be completed.

The Duty System Administrator would assign her underlings tasks that needed to be completed. The tasks were ranged from backing up crucial systems to keeping an eye on a system that had been recently updated and occasionally would not play well with the others.

There was only one task on Ex's schedule this evening and she grumbled loudly when she saw it. Usually there were a number of tasks that needed to be performed during a routine shift, but every sysadmin knew that there was one job that would rate being the only one on the schedule. And it was the job that every sysadmin hated more than anything. It wasn't a hard job, but it was incredibly time consuming and very tedious work that easily took up an entire duty shift. _Wish Server Diagnostics._

The wish servers were the computer systems within Yggdrasil that stored the contracts that Goddesses made with humans. There were thousands of wish servers in their own separate complex within Main Control, and those servers were responsible for creating and authenticating Goddess contracts, updating them as needed, and controlling the System Force that insured that the contracts were being carried out.

Also the energy that was generated from the contract was tapped by those servers and sent to the other parts of Yggdrasil to be used in keeping the whole enterprise that was Heaven running.

The servers were also used to close contracts that were completed either to the client's satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or because the Goddess responsible for the contract canceled it for whatever reason. Those servers would then report the results to the computers at the Goddess Assistance Agency for their use.

All in all, the most crucial system in Heaven other than the ones that kept the universe from going pear-shaped, were the wish servers. And because of their importance, making sure that those servers were always running was a constant concern.

The actual running of the diagnostic programs wasn't the hard part. That program assessed the health of each server, logged any and all problems and would fix what problems it could and alert the sysadmins to those issues that were beyond its ability. And it did its job very well. The diagnostics could fix about 60 percent of the problems it ran across, the remainder would be flagged and the sysadmins alerted.

The problem was that due to the enormous number of servers (no one really knew how many wish servers there were. The GAA stopped counting after the number reached five figures) and the number of contracts involved, the diagnostic program generated a mountainous log of server data that had to be gone through line by line.

And tonight it was Ex's turn to wade through all that mess. The data included constantly updated information on: contracts created; contracts closed; the Goddess and humans responsible; the duration of the contract and a wealth of other esoteric codes, numbers, symbols and other errata that only the sysadmins could understand.

Only a few sysadmins could get through it all without their eyes glazing over. And it wasn't uncommon for more experienced admins to pass the job on to their newer and more junior colleagues. And while Ex wasn't too high on the seniority list, she wasn't at the bottom either.

Ex settled in for a long night of picking through thousands of server log entries. The majority of whom showed that the affected system was running just fine and needed no intervention from the admin.

She brought up her keyboard and punched in the commands to start the diagnostic program. Almost immediately, her monitor screen filled with line upon line of densely packed log data scrolling past at a blur only an accomplished admin who knew exactly what to look for could follow.

After a few minutes of watching the endless parade of symbols flow up her screen, she thought to herself that there had to be a better way of streamlining the process. After all, she had some serious gossip to catch up on.

Normally, most admins would just grin and bear it, and push through the laborious task, but Ex was not a normal admin. Even though her specialty was writing powerful and complicated software meant to access the lowest levels of Yggdrasil's hardware, she was also a very good hacker who could throw together quick one-off programs to perform bothersome tasks in no time.

Ex turned to another console, brought up a command line shell, and hacked out a quick and dirty filter script that strained out the log entries that threw an error code of 0 or 1, because those codes indicated a server event that was either a routine occurrence or had an error that could be repaired by the diagnostics.

The only entries that the script would allow through were those that threw an error code of 2 or higher, which required a fix by an admin. After launching the script, the number of entries decreased to a fraction of what they were when she first started.

Ex looked at the results of her handiwork, grinned, and said to herself, _"Damn, I'm good!"_

After a few hours, with the help of her filter script, Ex was able to clear out the backlog of server entries in plenty of time to take a break and hang out with her friends. Only one log entry was left on the list, but it threw an error code that was not familiar to her. Ex gazed at the log entry with concern. She was not expecting to see this particular contract cross her screen. She pulled up the entry and entered the contract's identifying code into the contract database search engine to confirm her suspicions, and the results that came up caused her mouth to drop open.

It was Keiichi and Belldandy's contract. And according to the error codes and other supporting data, it was still very much in effect.

"_But how?" _Ex said to herself. _"That contract should have been voided as soon as Keiichi became a God. What's it still doing in the system? And why the hell is it __open?" _Ex further researched the data and immediately called the Goddess Assistance Agency as well as the duty Main Control Supervisor to report her find.


	5. Part 5

Chapter 18

Ere had pulled a double shift as the duty Main Control Supervisor and was just getting ready to turn over control to her relief when the call came to her console. She was on duty during the entire affair with the demonic raid on the Palace and the decoy attack planted at Outpost 4, and she had just tied up those loose ends, and was ready for a long rest period. Consequently, she was in no mood for anything that would keep her in Main Control any longer. Her console buzzed, and she threw up her hands in disgust as she answered, "Main Control, Ere!"

"Ere." Ex said excitedly. "I've got some really strange server data that you need to check out!"

"Ex, I'm just now heading off duty. Can it wait?" Ere grumbled.

"I don't think this is something that can wait. This is important."

"Dammit, it better be, Ex. I just pulled a double and I'm dead tired. What is it?"

"I'll forward it to you."

Seconds later, Ex's message with the mysterious data appeared on Chrono's screen.

Ere took one look at it, and any fatigue she was suffering from was shattered by a massive shot of whatever passed for adrenalin in Goddesses. "Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed. "This is a problem. Did you call the GAA, Ex?"

"Of course, I did. I'm waiting for them to get back to me."

"All right. How long ago, did you catch this?"

"I just found it a few minutes ago."

Ere pulled up her copy of the contract and checked the update logs. She was looking for the last time the contract's status had been updated in any way. She noticed that there hadn't been much change in the contract, but two very glaring problems had presented themselves. One, the contract was still in the system. And Two, Yggdrasil was still feeding energy into it attempting to enforce it. She was contemplating her next move when Ex buzzed her again.

"Ere, I have Freda, the duty System Supervisor at the GAA on the line. I'm setting up a three-way conference call."

"Okay, Ex. Good job. Let's see what they have to say."

Freda's picture popped up on Ere's screen next to Ex's. Freda was a short, very pretty Goddess First Class with blonde hair that was short on the left and long on the right. She was also unusual in that she wore glasses, despite the fact that all Goddesses had perfect vision.

Ere thought, "_It must be a fashion statement._"

Even thought Freda wasn't a field Goddess, she had the pristine, and well put-together look of one. Ere surmised that those Goddesses that didn't make it through field Goddess training were made into GAA sysadmins. In a Heaven where every Goddess was visually stunning, only the most beautiful would be selected for field work.

Freda spoke drily, "Well, this is an unusual development."

Ere shot back. "Tell me about it. We have a contract on the system that shouldn't be there, and it's drawing energy on Yggdrasil."

Freda said, "And we have no way of killing it. It's in an open state."

Ex said, "Open state? What does that mean?"

Freda responded, "The quick explanation. Goddess Contracts can be in one of three states: Active, which means that it's in force and it has two valid parties. Closed, which means that the contract has been fulfilled either by the Goddess performing the terms to the client's satisfaction, the client ending the contract because the Goddess failed to perform to their satisfaction, or the Goddess closing it because the terms were unfeasible.

"And finally, Open which is the rarest case. This contract was supposed to have been closed when Keiichi became a God. Gods and Goddesses cannot form a contract. But somehow, when the wish servers were patched to no longer allow this type of contract to be formed, it was either moved or copied out of the system to escape the purge. So what we have here is an open contract. It can't be closed because Keiichi is now a God and can't declare it closed. Yggdrasil thinks the contract is still in force so it's trying to enforce it, which it can't. Basically we have a stalemate."

Ex replied, "What about Belldandy? Can't she close the contract on her end?"

Freda said, "She could, but nobody can find her. She disappeared off the system about 12 hours ago."

Ere punched a few keys at her console, and said, "Freda, you're right. Belldandy's signal has been cut off. Come to think of it." as she accessed more information, "Urd and Skuld are nowhere to be found either." She added, "Damn, I've been so busy dealing with the demonic attacks, that I didn't even see that they disappeared."

Freda reassured Ere. "It's not your fault. The last day or so has been hell on all of us. You try dealing with a bunch of picky field Goddesses complaining that they had to use Gate Portal 6 instead of Portal 4 to go to Earth. You just can't satisfy them..."

Ere cut Freda off, "No offense, but our problems are a lot bigger than a bunch of field Goddesses with their undies in a twist. Every one of them, except for Belldandy, is a pain in the butt. So there's nothing that the GAA can do about killing this thing?"

"Nope. We're not allowed to intervene on a contract once it's formed. That constitutes interference and Kami-sama doesn't look kindly on that. All we can do is authenticate it, store it, and keep an eye on it. Only the two parties that formed the pact can end it, unless Kami-sama directly intervenes. But that's unlikely to happen. How much energy is Yggdrasil putting into the contract?"

Ere checked her screens, information flowing by in streams of barely recognizable letters and numbers. "Right now, the energy flows are well within safety parameters. But if we don't get a handle on this thing soon, it could escalate into a runaway situation. Believe me, we don't want that. Freda, is there any information in the contract data that would show who may have moved or copied it? I'd love to have a quiet chat with them."

Freda looked at her copy of the data, scrunched her face, and said, "I'll have to do a little research on my end, Give me some time, and I'll see what I can come up with."

"It looks like we're not in immediate danger, so you have six hours. That good?"

"Plenty." Freda said as she rang off the line.

Ere leaned back in her chair and buried her face in her hands. "Ex, I'm pulling you off diagnostic duty. Keep a close eye on every system having to do with that contract. Contact me if anything happens, and if you can use that devious little hacker brain of yours to whip up a solution that will solve the problem without causing Yggdrasil to misplace the universe, you've got the green light."

"Yes Ma'am!" Ex chirped and she rang off.

"_And all I wanted to do was just go home, have a mug or two of Angel's Breath and watch the Broom Races." _Ere groaned.

Fortunately for her, she didn't have another duty shift for a few days, but she still wasn't excited about hanging around Main Control chasing down a rogue contract. She logged off as Duty Supervisor and wearily trudged off to her living quarters to grab a little shut-eye. But Ere knew that sleep would probably not come easily. This could turn out to be a time-bomb with universe shattering implications if it weren't dealt with soon. And she knew she had to be at top form mentally to handle the problem.

Chapter 19

The squad of demons stood in ragged ranks on the main parade ground of Niflheim. Hild, the Damaikaicho, and their commander in chief stood before them on a raised platform and addressed them on their recent mission to Heaven. Beside Hild was her chief assistant, Marller.

The demons had just returned through the dimensional portal created by Urd while they were battling Heaven's Valkyries. No doubt more than a few of them were still disoriented by the sudden change of scenery. One moment, they were in the midst of Heaven engaged in a pitched battle, the next, they were dropped in a heap on the parade ground, disheveled and defeated. A few immediately jumped to their feet and attempted to continue the battle until reminded none too gently that they were no longer in Heaven.

Hild droned on and on about the glorious service the demons rendered in the name of Niflheim, and how pleased she was about how they took the fight to those clueless Valkyries. She spoke in glowing terms about how their service would not be forgotten, and that songs and sagas and many toasts would be sung in their honor. But most of the demons didn't care. They knew that this battle, like so many others would be just a footnote in the ongoing war with Heaven, if anyone even bothered to document it at all. Any glory that came from this battle would be gone the moment the squad was dismissed.

These weren't elite fighters that Hild sent. They were shock troopers. Little more than conscripts, these demons came from the lowest ranks of Hell's armies. They were given minimal training, basic weapons and infused with berserker magic that increased their tolerance for pain, and eliminated their ability or desire to flee. They were simply pointed at their enemy, and told to fight. Their tactics were simple. Attack with overwhelming force. And fight to the last man. Although they knew that their battles rarely ended with death, because of the doublet system.

Hild would never send her finest troops to merely engage in diversionary tactics. That's what these shock troops were for. The plan was perfect for even these demons. All but foolproof. Go in, engage the Valkyries, stomp around, break a few things, and make sure that a very important item was left behind for the Valkyries to discover.

The Daimaikaicho finished her speech at long last and dismissed her demons. The disheveled bunch heaved a sigh of relief and trudged off to heal their wounds and drown their pain and weariness in very strong drink. Hild and Marller were alone on the dais.

Marller was the first to speak, "A rousing speech, My Lady. I'm sure that it inspired these demons to a greater effort next time." She spoke with excitement as if she wished she had fought alongside them.

Hild looked cynically at her lieutenant, "Either you are joking, or you really believe all that nonsense. That speech was just as much a show as their attack. Those demons may be the dregs of my army, but even they know a line when they hear it. They were there to do a job and they did it. That's all."

Marller looked crestfallen. "So songs and sagas won't be sung in their honor?"

Hild replied, "Marller, if you want to sing songs and sagas about the bravery of **this** bunch, go right ahead. I'm sure you'll have plenty of company. As for me, they should be lucky that I acknowledged them at all."

"So Lady Hild, what was the item that you smuggled into Heaven?"

"Do you remember the disk I made showing Baldur's conversation with us?"

"Yes, Lady Hild, you were threatening to use it against him."

"I did." said Hild triumphantly. "I sent it up there with the demon in charge of the shock troops with explicit instructions to make sure that the Valkyries would find it.

Once they did, they'd play it back, discover that they had a traitor in their midst and move to arrest and try him. But they have no idea what else was planted on that disk."

"And what was that?"

"A nasty little surprise."  
>"Like what?"<p>

"Before I introduced Baldur to you, He and I were speaking about some of the plan that he wanted to implement. It involved the Goddess contract between a certain newly made God and an old nemesis that you and I know all too well."

"You mean..."

"Yes, Marller. Keiichi and Belldandy. He told me that he and an accomplice of his in the Goddess Assistance Agency were able to move that contract off of their wish servers before they had been fixed to not allow a contract like that to be created again. He planned to put something in place that would take advantage of the state of that contract to cause Yggdrasil to, shall we say, have problems. It was no problem at all for me to whip up a little program that would cause Yggdrasil to go into a runaway condition when trying to enforce that contract. Of course, Baldur didn't know that I beat him to the punch and that I put that program on the disk along with the evidence of his treason. Some well-meaning Valkyrie will see the disk, which was labeled to the attention of Kami-sama, and take it to him. He'll play it back, become enraged by Baldur's behavior and demand to see him tried. At the same time, that program would copy itself into Yggdrasil's operating system and start its dirty work.

"From what I remember of Heavenly law, treason carries the maximum penalty of isolation. And I'm guessing that our boy Baldur is currently in the Dimension of Outer Darkness, cursing our names for having betrayed him. That's what he gets for wasting my time with his bloviating. And he has no idea that we actually helped him to fulfill his wish to endanger Heaven. Albeit, we did it in our demonic way." Hild snickered.

Marller clapped her hands as she hopped up and down with glee. "Lady Hild, you truly are a genius!" I would have never thought of that! So devious."

Hild stared at Marller and said, "No, Marller, you wouldn't have thought of it,"

Chapter 20

Ragnar led Keiichi and Lind back down the Palace hallway opposite the direction they came. Ragnar walked casually along and he described the Palace's history and architecture. Keiichi feigned interest, but his mind was racing with the thoughts of what he was about to do. The importance of Ragnar's warning started to sink into his mind.

He started to question whether it was all worth it, but as soon as doubt crept into his mind, he pushed back hard against it, driving it far away from him.

Of course it was worth it. Belldandy had become a thrall to this Mjolnir Protocol which had taken over her mind and body and bent her will to its needs. Other than her mentioning his name before descending into the portal, he had heard nothing from his Goddess since the Protocol took over. He wondered what she was thinking, what her emotions were at this time. Could she even think? The doubt had started to turn itself into fear, and Keiichi mentally pushed it away again, but he found it a little harder this time around. Ragnar kept on speaking, but Keiichi heard none of it.

After a few minutes walk, Ragnar came to a halt. He stood before a blank wall of the expansive hallway. There was nothing on the wall that indicated anything unique or special, just an ordinary spotlessly clean white wall. "Stop here", he said. "Here's the entrance to the first dimensional portal."

Keiichi looked at Ragnar as if he'd grown a second head. "Where's the portal?"

Lind said, "Did you expect that a dimensional portal leading to the most powerful magical artifact in Heaven, guarded by the most advanced security system available would have a large sign above it saying, 'This Way to The Eye of Heaven'?, give us some credit, Keiichi."

Before Keiichi could respond, Ragnar said, "No, Lind. Don't be cross with him. He's not of us, and he's still trying to understand how we do things here."

Turning to Keiichi, Ragnar continued, "Keiichi, hold your hand out at this point.", as he himself pointed to a spot on the wall. Keiichi held out his hand.

"Now, Keiichi. Focus your mind on that very spot where your hand is. Train your mind's eye on that spot." After a few seconds, Ragnar said, "Do you feel a slight depression as if your fingers were feeling a hole in that wall?"

After a few seconds of concentration, Keiichi closed his eyes and reached out with his mind towards the spot that Ragnar mentioned. He could feel what seemed to be a hole in the wall, but when he opened his eyes, the wall was just as solid as ever.

"Yes, Ragnar. I can feel a slight depression in the wall, but it's solid. There's no hole in the wall."

"Close your eyes again, and refocus on that spot. Do you still feel the hole?"

"Yes."

"Keep concentrating. At the same time, move your hand an inch or two to either side.

Does that feel solid?"

"Yes, it does. But I do feel the hole."

"Good. That hole is the exact location of the portal. But we need to expand it. Stand aside."

Keiichi did so, and Ragnar stood in his place. Looking both left and right to insure no one was watching, the Council leader placed his right hand on the spot, and slowly and quietly murmured a chant. It was a deep rich song, that clearly had much Power embedded within it.

Keiichi tried to listen to the words, but they were utter gibberish to him. He thought that becoming a God would allow him to understand the language of Heaven, but in this case, he was wrong.

Lind whispered to Keiichi. "I know what you're trying to do. Don't try to figure out what he's saying. He's using the Old Language, the First Language of Heaven. It hasn't been spoken in over a hundred thousand years. Only a few people left in Heaven can speak it. It's not even taught any more. This tongue was only used to perform the highest and most powerful magic. It was so powerful that it was only taught orally. It has never been written down."

As Lind was speaking, Ragnar continued the incantation. Eyes closed, mind totally focused on pronouncing the words right. Ragnar held his left hand up next to his right out in front of him, and while still chanting, slowly moved his hands apart.

As had happened when the Goddesses summoned their portal outside the Palace, the fabric of Heaven started to separate in the space between Ragnar's hands. As he moved them further apart. The breach got bigger and wider. Keiichi peered inside the breach, and he saw the exact same lights that showed in Belldandy's portal. They were bright, pure white, and flashed in perfect randomness.

Ragnar stretched his arms out as far as he could, and then dropped them. The spell complete. He staggered back, face flushed, exhaustion racking his body. He looked up at the breach, its perfection and magnificence rendering all speechless.

Catching his breath, he turned to Lind and Keiichi. The effort needed to cast such a spell was clearly written all over his face. It looked like he aged twenty human years in the span of a few minutes. Before the spell, his face, while showing that he was still a very senior God, was still firm of jaw and without lines or wrinkles. Had he been on Earth, he would have had the appearance of a man in his late thirties. But the face he showed Keiichi and Lind showed faint crow's feet under his eyes, and the skin was a little looser around his cheeks. Ragnar stood there admiring his handiwork.

"As you can see, It's been a very long time since I opened this portal. I had forgotten how much it takes out of you."

Keiichi looked at Ragnar with much concern. "Are you going to be all right? Do you need help?" He held out a hand to steady the weakened God.

Ragnar shook off the offer. "No, I'll be fine. I may have knocked a few decades off my life, but it'll pass. This is why the Old Language isn't used in Heaven anymore. The toll it takes to cast spells in this manner was too much for most Gods and Goddesses to handle. It burned out their life force too quickly. But, this was the hard part." he said with a chuckle. "Now it gets easier."

Keiichi and Lind looked at each other and shook their heads.

Ragnar stood at the edge of the breach and said, "Are you just going to stand there? Let's get going." He boldly entered the portal and Keiichi and Lind followed, only slightly more apprehensive.

When he stepped into the portal, Keiichi felt the same pull in his stomach that he felt whenever he traveled through the Gate. The bright lights surrounded him on all sides, but instead of scaring him or jarring his senses, he found them to be quite comforting.

He didn't feel any sensation of moving as he traveled through the portal, and the flashing of the lights gave no indication of direction, speed, or whether they were moving at all. It just felt like they were floating weightlessly with the lights supporting him. He looked over at Lind and Ragnar, and they looked as if they'd been traveling like this their whole existence, which being denizens of Heaven, they had.

After a few moments floating, the lights gave way to a room colored in that ubiquitous shade of pure white. The room had three doors, none of whom had any distinguishing signs or markings to show what was behind them. There was nothing else in the room except for those three doors.

Keiichi, Lind and Ragnar emerged through the opening the portal created and when all three had cleared it, the portal snapped shut, locking them in. Keiichi looked around and in an attempt to break the tension, quipped, "I'm sensing a theme. You guys really like the whole stark white minimalist look here. Every room I've seen since I've been coming to Heaven looks exactly like this."

Ragnar and Lind looked at each other and simultaneously laughed.

Ragnar said, "Well, that's Kami-sama for you. This is his style, and when you're the Supreme Ruler, you can dictate how you want things to look. He likes things simple. We've been trying for centuries to get him to add some color here and there, but he keeps shooting us down. So what you see is what you get." Keiichi succeeded in lightening the mood. Ragnar and Lind seemed less tense and driven.

"Okay, Keiichi." Ragnar said. "Here's where you come in. Have you determined your dominant magical element yet?"

"Yes." Keiichi answered, his mind going back to the time when Urd and Belldandy helped him to discover the element around which his magic was based. "My element is Rock."

Ragnar looked at Keiichi approvingly. "Oh-ho. Rock is one of the harder elements to control."

Lind piped up. "Yes, he's taken quite nicely to the element. He cast Lava Wind Barrage against Hild when she attacked him and Belldandy at their home."

Ragnar looked genuinely surprised. "So that was you? I remember hearing about someone casting that spell not long ago. Very powerful spell. So you have quite the potential, young man.

"Well, Keiichi. Here's your test. One of these three doors is tuned to your Rock element. Your job is to pick the correct one. Focus your mind on each one of the doors and put your hand on the one you believe is most tuned to the Rock element. Don't touch the door until you are completely sure you're correct. Touch the wrong door and you'll be sent to a random dimension, and getting you back will be almost impossible. So be very careful." With that Ragnar stepped aside.

Keiichi stepped forward to the first door to his left. Reaching out a hand to within an inch of the door, he closed his physical eyes and opened his mind's eye.

He could feel the immense waves of energy emanating from that door. He could visualize the various elemental powers. The angry red of Fire. The cool and placid green of Wind. The icy blue of Water and his own unyielding Rock gray. All the colors were shown, but some were in greater proportion to the others. Gray was the least of the colors represented, while Green was the most abundant, with Blue and Red about equal in prominence. Easily Keiichi decided that this was not the door for him.

He then stepped to the middle door. Lind and Ragnar keeping silent not giving Keiichi hint nor distraction. He must be allowed to figure this out on his own. His move would determine theirs. Kei reached out as before and turned inward once again.

This time he could see Red was the weakest color by far, with Gray and Green equal and Blue just coming in above Red. Keiichi was tempted to choose this door, but decided against it until he checked out the final one. Stepping to the final door, he saw the exact same scene. Gray and Green were exactly equal. Red and Blue had no change.

Keiichi panicked. Which door should he take? The middle and right doors were exactly the same. Choose right and enter the Eternal Chamber and see his Belldandy again. Choose wrong and be cast into an alien dimension with little chance  
>of rescue. <em>"Which should I choose? They're both the same! Ragnar and Lind can't help. Why did this have to come down to me?" <em>

Keiichi's mind spun in confusion. He broke his concentration and stepped back. The doors looked the same in real life as they did in his mind's eye. He turned to Lind and Ragnar as if to look for help. They shrugged their shoulders. He steeled himself mentally and turned back to the doors.

He opened his mind's eye once again and faced the middle door. Green and Gray were still emitting the exact same amount of energy. He pushed his mind past the energy deep into the space beyond the door. The door gave token resistance, but allowed him access. He was looking for something, anything that could give him a sign that this was or wasn't the door to take. Other than the waves of energy that he felt, and the colors that he saw, there was nothing else there.

Keiichi finally stepped to the right door. He turned inward and pushed beyond the Gray and Green and cast his mind. But this time, in addition to seeing the equal energies of Rock and Wind and feeling those energies, he _heard _something. It was very faint, on the verge of inaudible. But it sounded like _a song! _

Keiichi couldn't quite make out the tune or the words, but it was definitely a song. And he had no doubt as to who the singer was. It was Belldandy. He knew that voice from anywhere. Was it Belldandy leading him to her side? Was he hearing her voice because he wanted to, because his mind planted this suggestion, or was she behind this door, calling to him, beckoning to him, pleading for him to rescue her?

Or even worse, was this a trick to throw him off? His mind started to flood with doubt. He was almost sure that this was the door to choose. But he wasn't sure enough to bet his and his friends lives on it.

But his mind told him that Bell would never lead him wrong. He trusted her with his life and she, him. She proved her love and worth to him a thousand times over, and he, her. She was asking him to have faith, in her and in Heaven. And he would never deny her.

His mind made up, Keiichi boldly and with no hesitation placed his hand on the right door. The door felt cool and warm to the touch at the same time. The energies that flowed from that door shifted subtly and the door cracked open to see the pure white lights. He had chosen correctly.

Lind and Ragnar nodded to each other and stepped to the left and center doors, respectively. They touched the doors at the same time and Keiichi's door opened wide showing the portal leading them to the Eternal Chamber.

Ragnar turned to Keiichi, put his hands on his shoulders and said, "Well done, Keiichi. I knew you had the power within you, but for a minute, I admit I had my doubts. How did you know that this door", pointing to Keiichi's open door, "was the correct one?"

Keiichi turned to the open portal, looked at the beautiful light show for a moment, as if looking for someone, and said, "A little Goddess told me."

Lind and Ragnar exchanged puzzled looks and said no more. "Well, let's get going. I've got a Goddess to save." said Keiichi as he walked through the portal.

Chapter 21

Another short trip through the Heavenly light show and Keiichi, Lind, and Ragnar found themselves in what was their final destination—The Eternal Chamber. The home of the Eye of Heaven.

The Chamber was perfectly round with a domed ceiling. It measured about fifteen feet across and ten feet high. The walls were unlike any room in Heaven. Instead of the blindingly pure white that was the rule of the day in Heaven, the walls of the Eternal Chamber were smooth and haze gray with mottled black spots that gave the appearance that the walls were covered in some kind of mold. Like all rooms in Heaven, the light source was unseen, but the Chamber was much more dimly lit than than any other Heavenly space Keiichi had seen.

The walls and dome were also covered with thousands of runes. Keiichi recognized the letters as those of the current language of Heaven, but the words made no sense to him.

In the exact center of the room, the Eye of Heaven was sitting on a pedestal that was the same mottled gray and black as the walls. Runes also covered the surface of the pedestal. A circle about ten feet in diameter surrounded the pedestal and runes and mystical symbols surrounded the circle's perimeter as well as covered the space within the circle. Standing in subcircles just inside the perimeter, 120 degrees apart were Belldandy, Urd and Skuld. They were still dressed in their robes of authority, and still under control of the Mjolnir Protocol. Their eyes were blank, voices still silent, and they didn't acknowledge the presence of Keiichi, Lind and Ragnar.

The Eye itself was a very large jewel the size of a basketball. Blood-red and cut like a diamond, each facet glowed with a dim light that seemed to come from deep within the Eye. It gave the impression that if the Eye was alive, who or whatever was in it, was merely dormant, and if awoken, would be much more powerful than anyone could imagine.

From the moment Keiichi entered the Chamber, the overpowering presence of magic hit him like a runaway freight train. He had never felt so much Power resident in one place at one time. The magic assaulted his senses on all sides. His mind's eye snapped on involuntarily and showed him multiple dimensions all at once. He experienced dimensions that could only be experienced by one sense only, and others where he smelled colors and saw sounds.

He saw truly disturbing and horrible sights in one moment and breathtaking sights of wondrous beauty the next. Scenes of death and destruction traded places with other scenes of tranquility and calm within the canvas of his mind. They invaded his thoughts with such detail that he could almost reach out and touch them. And the sounds...Had he still been human, he would have instantly gone insane. But the images whirled around like a carousel out of control and bashed against his mental shields. His brain struggled to process all the information that was being thrust at him, but was failing miserably. He cried out in anguish as he grabbed his head with his hands. Ragnar flew immediately to his side, "Keiichi! Keiichi!" He screamed. "What is wrong?"

"So many images!, so much information! The pain! The pain!" Keiichi howled.

"Lind, grab hold of him. The magic within the chamber is affecting his mind! We need to stabilize him, or he'll lose control!" Ragnar cried.

Lind did as the senior God ordered. She stood behind Keiichi and wrapped her arms around him tightly, as Ragnar put his hand to Kei's forehead and started chanting.

Despite Lind's slender build, she had strength that exceeded a dozen of her strongest Valkyries. Even then, she could barely control Keiichi as he thrashed about trying to excise the images from his mind. So much horror mixed with so much beauty. It seemed that Keiichi was losing the war over his mind.

But as Ragnar's chanting increased in intensity, the pain slowly started to recede. The images decreased in frequency and power. Under Ragnar's control, Keiichi was gradually able to regain control of his mind, and the effects of the magic in the chamber lessened to the point where he was able to push them away. After a few moments, they faded away.

Keiichi fell back in exhaustion and Lind caught him. "It's okay, Keiichi. I've got you. Everything will be all right." she reassured him as he fought to regain his balance.

Keiichi's face was flushed, and while he was able to stand up straight, there was still some uncertainty and staggering in his feet.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, when the world finally stopped spinning.

Ragnar gazed at Keiichi, "As far as I can tell, you had an adverse reaction to the magic within the Chamber. You were being hit from both the Power coming from the Eye as well as the wards contained within the walls. I was able to counteract the greater effects, but I need you to concentrate on keeping the residual energy under control. It shouldn't be hard to do, but it will require some conscious effort on your part."

Looking at Ragnar, one could tell that stabilizing Keiichi's mind took even more of a toll on him on top of the strain of the opening of the initial dimensional portal back in the Palace. The lines on his face became even more pronounced. The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth deeper. Now he looked like a Earth man in his fifties. No telling how much of his life force he expended in treating Keiichi.

Lind crossed over to Ragnar who was reeling from the tremendous energy expended.

"Ragnar, Ragnar!" She reached out to him to offer comfort and aid.

The older God raised his head and looked Lind in the eye, "I'm okay, Lind. Just give me a few more moments to compose myself." He raised his hands, palms out to push her away.

"You are not okay, Ragnar!" Lind said, as she tried to advance on Ragnar again. "I have to get you out of here! You won't survive any more of this!" as she tried to find a way out of the Chamber.

"And how will we get out?" Ragnar said calmly. "We're locked in here until we've dealt with the Eye."

Lind screamed in fury, "We found a way in, we'll find a way out!" Her calm abandoned her as she walked around the Chamber trying to find a door, physical or otherwise, but to no avail.

"No, Lind. We must see this through. For Keiichi and the Goddesses."

Lind was about to raise her voice in protest, but her better judgment intervened.

"You're right. But I still don't like this."

Through it all, the Goddesses stood still as stone.

Ragnar recovered enough to stand up straight. While he aged significantly in helping Keiichi, he was still tall and proud in his bearing. "The Eye of Heaven is putting out a tremendous amount of power, and it hasn't even been awoken yet." He pointed to the runes on the gray walls. "These runes are the symbols of an old and very powerful warding spell designed to keep the Eye's magic from escaping the Chamber. It was cast when the Chamber was first built long ago to contain the Eye."

Keiichi strode over to one of the walls of the chamber and without touching it, pointed to the wall and said, "I notice that the wall of the Chamber isn't pure white like the other walls in Heaven."

Ragnar warned, "Don't touch it, Keiichi. You'll undo all the work I did to help you.

At one time, those walls were pure white. But over the centuries, the effects of the Eye and the wards have combined to turn them gray. The warding spell still is plenty powerful enough to contain the Power coming from the Eye. This discoloring is but a side effect. How are you feeling, son?"

"I'm feeling much better. I am able to keep the images under control, thanks to your help. But why did this magic affect only me? I didn't see you or Lind bothered by it at all."

"I would suppose that because we were born Deities, and had a natural resistance to this form of magic. But you were made a God, and your mind and body work differently from ours. Remember, Keiichi. You are the only one of your kind here. Your mere presence here in Heaven is forcing us to confront questions and situations that we've never encountered before. Not that you're not welcome to be among us, but we still have to figure out exactly how to deal with you. I mean no offense."

Keiichi said, "None taken. I had to figure out how to adjust to having a Goddess in my life when Belldandy came along. So it just goes that the tables have been turned."

About the same time Keiichi finished his statement, Lind interrupted him as she pointed to the Goddesses within the circle. As one, they slowly raised their arms over their heads. Then they started to speak:

Urd went first _"I am Urd. The Goddess of the Past. The one who summons and wields the Lightning. The Eldest of the Norns. O Spirit that resides within the Eye of Heaven, hear my plea. Awaken and reveal thyself to us. Make known your will to us. I unlock the Seal that binds you."_

As she said this, the dim glow within the Eye became slightly brighter. The runes on the walls and the pedestal started to glow in response. Keiichi, Lind and Ragnar could feel the level of magical tension within the Chamber start to increase. Keiichi felt the magical images that he had under control begin to try to intrude into his mind again, but he was able to push them back into submission.

Belldandy was next. _"I am Belldandy. The Goddess of the Present. The one who rides upon the ceaseless winds. The Middle Child of the Norns. O Spirit that resides within the Eye of Heaven, hear my plea. Awaken and reveal thyself to us. Make known your will to us. I unlock the Seal that binds you"_

Again, as before, the glow within the Eye and the runes grew more intense. The magical interference within Kei's mind assaulted him again, and it took a stronger effort of will to subdue it. "What's going on?" he asked Ragnar.

The elder God answered, "The Mjolnir Protocol is unblocking the spell that was hidden in the Goddesses minds. Once Skuld says her part, they will then start to chant the activating Spell that will fully open the Eye."

Skuld was the last. _"I am Skuld. The Goddess of the Future. My place is in the rippling waves of the deep, clear waters. I am the Youngest of the Norns. O Spirit that reside within the Eye of Heaven, hear my plea. Awaken and reveal thyself to us. Make known your will to us. I unlock the Seal that binds you"_

At this, the runes and the Eye came to full brightness. Another attack on Keiichi's mind. Seeing the stress on his face, Ragnar started to move toward Keiichi to assist him in driving the images back, but he was rebuffed. "No, Ragnar. I must learn to control this myself." Keiichi said as he struggled to contain the barrage of magic that was attacking him. It took a mighty effort, but after a few tense moments, he finally succeeded in quelling the roar.

Then the three Goddesses said together. _"The Spell is unlocked. Let our Voices unite to Awaken the Eye of Heaven."_

With arms raised, and heads tilted back, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld released their angels. Their other Selves emerged from each Goddesses back, wings fully extended, with hands clasped over their breasts. World of Elegance, she of the black and white wings. Holy Bell, the angel floating on gossamer clouds, and finally, Noble Scarlet, the littlest of angels. A truly magnificent sight, Goddesses and angels coming together.

Even thought he inwardly cringed at what was about to happen, Keiichi could not help to feel a measure of joy when he saw the angels emerge. Quite possibly, because for a short period of time, when he was human, he himself hosted an angel. The experience almost drove him crazy, but for one brief moment, he understood that ability.

The Goddesses started to sing. As always, the beautiful and lush harmonies of Bell's, Urd's and Skulds voices filled the Chamber with rich,complex melodies that no human choir could achieve. But there was also something different about the way they sung this time.

It was as if their voices weren't entirely their own. That there was something or someone that had taken them over and was singing through them. The tone of the magic within the Chamber took on a different resonance. It wasn't the intrusive attack that forced Keiichi to fight so hard to control, but it was more like a gentle voice calling out to **him**.

To him, it sounded like it wanted him to sing along, to lend his voice. To commune with him. And he was tempted to acquiesce to the voice's call, but decided not to for fear of interfering with the activating Spell. He didn't want to do anything that would affect his chances of getting Belldandy back. The voice continued to call to him, and he kept ignoring it.

As the Goddesses kept chanting the Spell, the marks on their foreheads glowed. Urd's with a fiery red. Belldandy's mark flashed a forest green, while Skuld's mark was a deep ocean blue. A ray of light emerged from each Goddess's mark. The rays converged directly over the Eye. Where they met, a single ray descended and entered the top of the magical stone. Within the Eye, a cloudy mass appeared, roiling and swirling like a thick fog. Lind, Ragnar, and Keiichi stared in wonder as the fog started to clear, and the faint outline of a single closed eye filled the space.

The Spell was nearing its completion. The fog was nearly gone, and the eye was almost fully revealed. The voice that was calling out to Keiichi continued to do so, offering him every chance to join in, but Kei stood his ground. The presence of magic within the Chamber was still very high. The runes written on the walls and the pedestal were glowing as brightly as ever. Their light made the Chamber ten times brighter than when Keiichi, Lind and Ragnar arrived. Kei observed Ragnar. The older God was staring in rapt attention at what was unfolding within the Eye. He heard Ragnar say quietly to himself, "_This is incredible!" _Surely if one so learned and powerful as the Leader of the Heavenly Council had been amazed at this sight, then it must have been truly an unprecedented occurrence.

Finally with one last powerful swell of Heavenly voices, the Goddesses finished the spell. They bowed their heads, as their angels receded into their backs. They lowered their arms before their breasts as their angels had done. Eyes closed, a countenance of inner peace on their faces.

As the final strains of the Spell died away. The eye within the jewel snapped open. The pupils glowed a multitude of colors, The iris sparkled with lights of life. The eye turned to gaze upon the Goddesses that awakened it, and with a furrowed brow and a deep penetrating stare, three bolts of light blazed from the facets of the Eye and hit the Goddesses square in their forehead marks. The trio collapsed as if shot. The runes flashed once and winked out, leaving the Chamber as dimly lit as before except for the glowing eye in the midst of the stone.

"Belldandy!" Keiichi shrieked as he saw his Goddess be hit. He ran to her side afraid of what he'd find. He remembered what happened the last time Bell was hit with powerful magic, and he didn't want to relive that anguish again. He knelt beside her, and shook her gently. No response. "Belldandy!, Speak to me!" Keiichi called out. He patted her cheeks gently to awaken her. Finally he put his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. He could feel power leaving him and entering her.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered. The color was returning to her cheeks. She opened her eyes and quietly said, "Keiichi?"

"Yes, Belldandy."

"Is that you, Keiichi?"

"Yes, Belldandy."

"Oh, Keiichi!" she cried as she reached out to her man.

"Belldandy!" Keiichi let himself be enveloped by Belldandy's arms as she embraced him and held him tight. "I'm here for you, Bell!" She smothered him in kisses.

"Where am I, Keiichi?"

"You're in Heaven. In the Eternal Chamber."

"How did I get here?"

"I'll explain later."

"What's going on? Why am I in Heaven?"

"That's what we're here to find out."


	6. Part 6

Chapter 22

After a few minutes, Belldandy was strong enough to get to her feet. Keiichi helped her up and they rushed to the aid of the others. Lind was trying to revive Skuld and Ragnar was helping Urd. Soon, the other two sisters regained consciousness, and were standing on their feet.

Urd said, "Where are we? I'm not familiar with this place."

Skuld held herself and squirmed. "I don't like it here. It's scary."

Urd retorted, "Nothing to be scared of, you big baby. We're all here with you."

"That doesn't mean anything! I'm still scared!"

Belldandy walked over to Skuld and putting her arm around her, said, "Urd's right, Skuld. We're here together, and we'll protect you. You have nothing to fear."

Skuld trembled once more. "Okay, Belldandy. I believe you."

Urd said, "Oh! So you believe Belldandy, but you won't believe me! I see which side your bread's buttered on."

"I trust Big Sis! I don't trust you, Urd!" Skuld stuck her tongue out at her oldest sister.

Urd turned her back to Skuld and approached Ragnar. "Well, well, well. Ragnar. It's a pleasant surprise to see you here. Can you shed some light on this situation?"

Ragnar came over, gave Urd a friendly hug, and said. "It's good to see you again too, Urd. And yes, I do know what's going on and why you're here. Gather up Belldandy and Skuld, and we'll tell you."

After the Goddesses were together, Ragnar, Keiichi, and Lind took turns telling them all that had happened to them since the Protocol had taken them over.

Urd snapped, "Damn that Baldur! I knew his slimy hands would be all over this! He got what he deserved! But we still don't know why we awakened the Eye of Heaven. And why the Norns, of all Deities, had this Mjolnir Protocol program put into our heads.

Who knows what we could have been doing while we were under its control."

Lind said, "You swept away a hundred shock troop demons with a wave of your hand."

"I didn't need to be under the Protocol to do that. I can do that with my eyes closed and Skuld's level of power." Urd quipped.

Ragnar said, "And we still don't know all that the Eye of Heaven can do."

While the others were still discussing their predicament and the plan forward, Keiichi pulled Belldandy aside.

"Belldandy." Keiichi said firmly. "Baldur told me that the secret you've been keeping from me has something to do with his plan, and why we are all here." He held Belldandy's hands in his own. "Up to now, I have respected your feelings, and have not pried into your business. But now, I have no choice but to ask you to tell me what the secret is. We can't wait any longer."

Belldandy tried to protest. She tried to think of an excuse to put off the inevitable. She tried to stall for time, but Keiichi's glare made her realize that she was out of options. Keiichi instantly regretted taking this tone with Belldandy. He never wanted to force her to do anything. He knew that when they got back to Earth, he would have to make it up to her, the usual way, or another. But this wasn't the time to be nice to his Goddess. Whatever she was hiding had to be brought out into the open.

Bell lowered her head. A pained look crossed her beautiful face. "Keiichi. The contract between us, that we forged back when we first met still exists. It was supposed to be voided when you became a God. But somehow, Baldur figured out a way to make sure the contract was not purged when the wish servers were patched."

Keiichi looked puzzled. "That's your big secret? I don't get it."

Belldandy continued, "The problem is, that Gods and Goddesses can't form a contract. I can only contract with a human. This contract is sitting on the servers in an open state. It can't be closed. Yggdrasil is still trying to enforce it. And if Yggdrasil continues to pour energy into trying to enforce an unenforceable contract, it could escalate into a runaway condition that could bring down the system, causing untold damage to both Heaven and Earth."

Keiichi still looked puzzled.

"Keiichi. The only way this contract can be closed is by you declaring it to be fulfilled, and you can't do it because you are now a God."

Slowly, the light came on in Keiichi's mind. "Now I see. In order for me to stop this from happening, I have to declare it closed. But I'd have to somehow become human in order to declare the contract fulfilled, but if I did that, then you'd be forced to leave me. And we could never be together again."

"Right."

"And once I became a God, I could never turn back."

"Right."

"We can't petition Kami-sama to grant some kind of one-time waiver or something?"

"No, Kami-sama won't do that. We don't even know whether he can turn a God into a human. It's never been done before. And even if he could, he may not want to. There's no telling what kind of ripple effect could result from such a thing."

"I see. I'm sorry I was short with you just now."

"Don't worry, Keiichi. I knew that I had to tell you sooner or later. I feel so much better that I finally got this burden off my chest. I'm so glad you're not mad. But there has to be a way to close the contract. Let's see what Ragnar has to say."

Keiichi and Belldandy spoke to Ragnar about what they discussed.

Ragnar said, "She's right, Keiichi. And until we are finished with whatever business we have with the Eye of Heaven, we are stuck here. Baldur put us in quite the conflict."

Keiichi pointed to the Eye, and said. "Now that the Eye is awakened, is there anything it can do to help us?"

Ragnar said, "Only one way to find out."

He stood before the Eye and said, "Eye of Heaven. We apologize for having awakened you. We have been brought here to help our friends, the Norns of Time, who were forced to come here under the Mjolnir Protocol. We ask for your help. Assist us, and we'll leave you in peace. We mean no harm. We were victims of another God's treachery."

The Eye fixed its gaze on Ragnar for a moment as if considering his request. Then it turned to Keiichi, and locked itself on him. Keiichi could feel the cold stare of the Eye burrowing past his mental defenses. His mind's eye snapped open, and the compulsion to communicate with the jewel that he felt earlier returned.

But this time, no matter how hard he tried to resist, the Eye was not accepting 'no' for an answer. Keiichi could feel the Eye pulling him forward towards the massive stone. He couldn't stop himself. The Eye drew him forward, closer and closer.

He mounted his best defense, but the Eye has having none of it. Ragnar and the other Goddesses looked on with horror as they saw Keiichi fall under the Eye's command. Ragnar shouted vainly, "Keiichi, no! You have no idea what would happen should you touch the Eye!" He rushed forward to intercept Keiichi, but for a second, the Eye turned to Ragnar and a powerful beam of blue-white light shot forth from its iris, and knocked him over.

Belldandy and Lind caught Ragnar as he fell. Urd, furiously tried to grab Keiichi, but Ragnar said, "No, Urd. There's nothing you can do. I'm all right. What business the Eye has with Keiichi is between him and it alone. We have to trust that it will not harm him." Urd retreated, but she certainly didn't like it.

Keiichi got to within arm's reach of the Eye. He felt his arms reach out and his hands close around the jewel. He picked it up from its resting place. As large as the stone was, it felt much lighter than its size would imply. A rush of energy tore through Keiichi's mind. But instead of resisting, he complied. He held the Eye up to his face and stared at the eye within. After a moment, the relentless flow of energy subsided and he could hear a powerful and reassuring voice.

"_Be not afraid. I will not hurt you. Do you trust me?"_

"I do."

"_Very well. I am the Spirit that resides within the Eye of Heaven. Who are you?"_

"I am Keiichi Morisato, God First Class."

"_You are different from the others. You are a God, but you are different in some way. How are you related to them?"_

"I was born human. I was transformed into a God through the love of a Goddess and by the Song of the Goddesses. I met Ragnar recently, and I have known the Goddesses for a while. I am a companion of the Goddess Belldandy."

"_Yes, I see. I can tell that you and Belldandy are very close."_

"She is the Goddess I love."

"_An abiding love, indeed. I can tell that the bonds between you and Belldandy are deep and powerful. You have been through much together. If you have won the heart of a Norn, then you must be one that can be trusted. Belldandy does not give her heart away so easily."_

"I have sworn to never abuse the trust that Belldandy has in me."

"_If Belldandy trusts you, then I will do so as well. Why are you here?"_

"That's what we're trying to figure out. The Norns were called here by the Mjolnir Protocol to awaken you. An evil God named Baldur activated the Protocol to bring them here to use your power for his purposes."

"_And what of him?"_

"He was found out and cast into the Outer Darkness for his crimes."

"_A fitting punishment for one such as him. My power is not to be used for petty trifles. The Protocol was designed to bring the Norns here to awaken me only if Heaven itself was in danger. Is this so?"_

"For now, no. But it could be if we cannot solve the problem we have."

"_Tell me."_

Keiichi told the Eye about the situation with the contract. The Eye listened without interrupting.

"_So, in order to fix this problem, you have to be made human once again to declare the contract closed, but to do so would cause Belldandy to leave you."_

"Yes."

"_One of my many powers is that I can undo any magic to which I am exposed. No doubt Baldur was figuring that he could use my power to hold Heaven hostage until Kami-sama acceded to his demands to step aside. I would normally be able to do that which you request. But yours is an exception."_

"How?"

"_The power that makes you a God is based on the love you have for Belldandy. I cannot undo magic based on Love. Also, I detect that there is a Sacred Coupling between you two. What happens to you will affect her as well. I cannot take the chance of harming both of you."_

Urd said to Ragnar, "Why did the Eye allow Keiichi to handle it? I'm pretty sure that it would have never allowed any of us to do so."

Ragnar thought for a moment. "I believe that it has to do with Keiichi's Earth element magic. After all, the Eye of Heaven is a stone. It makes sense that it would resonate with him better than anyone else."

Ere tried to rest, but while her body was screaming for peace and quiet, her mind was having none of it. Ere was the kind of Goddess that once a bug was put in her ear about something, she put her full attention to it until it was addressed. After a few hours of fitful sleep, she got dressed, and returned back to Main Control. She had just logged back into the system when she received calls from Ex and Freda at the same time.

Sighing loudly, she set up the conference call. Ex appeared first, looking energized and alert. Almost perky. Ere thought to herself, _"That girl has waay too damn much energy!" _ Freda came up next with an air of detached calm. The kind of look that indicated that she had something important going on, but that she was on top of it.

Ere said "I don't like the looks on either of your faces. I have a feeling this is a good news/bad news situation."

Ex's face fell. She said, "Awww, how did you guess?"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Ex. Okay, you two, spit it out. Who's got what, although I could already tell by the looks on your faces when you first came up. What's the good news, Ex?

Ex piped up, "I don't have anything yet on the contract, and I'm still trying to figure out a solution to hack into the thing, but I do know that Belldandy's signal just came back up about 15 minutes ago."

Ere's spirits lifted slightly. "That's good. Where is she?"

"Are you familiar with the Eternal Chamber?"

Ere screwed up her face as she thought, "I've heard bits and pieces about it. Not a lot. It's under Kami-sama's throne room. Supposed to house some very powerful magical artifact. That's about all I know."

Ex continued, "Well, whatever and wherever it is, that's where she is, and she has company."

That perked up Ere's ears.

"Who's in there with her?"

"Urd, Skuld, Keiichi, Lind, and ummm, Ragnar."

"Ragnar? What's he doing in there? Can you establish communications?"

" No. There's way too much magical interference. It took all I had to pick up and identify their signals."

"Good work, Ex. Keep on it. The moment you can set up a voice or video link, let me know."

"On it, Ere" Ex said, as her image winked off.

The return of Belldandy and her companions lifted Ere's spirits, although she was sure that what Freda reported would return her to a cranky mood.

"Okay, Freda. Your turn."

"Well, Ere. I've been looking into the contract. And buried in its data structure is a virus."

"A what?"

"A virus. A nasty one, too."

"What does it do?"

"From what I can tell, if we try to move or delete the contract, it'll launch a process that will fool Yggdrasil into thinking that there isn't enough energy going into enforcing the contract. Yggdrasil will increase the amount of energy going into the contract, but the virus will still keep telling Yggdrasil that the contract needs more. The system will pour more and more energy into the contract until it becomes a runaway condition. The virus will shut down all safety protocols and force an overload onto the system..."

Ere finished the sentence, "...which will cause Yggdrasil to execute a system-wide shutdown."

All the color drained from Ere's face as she contemplated the possibility of a system-wide shutdown. Without Yggdrasil to monitor and control the universe, it would spin out of control. Heaven and Earth would be irreparably damaged. The possibilities of such an event would be impossible to predict. This was a crisis in the making.

Ere immediately called Ex. "Ex! Whatever you do, do NOT try to move or delete that contract!"

Her voice was drowned out by the piercing sound of alarms.

Chapter 23

Warning lights strobed on and off throughout the Main Control facility. Energy readouts monitoring critical systems flashed red. Error and warning screens lit up filling the main console screen with ominous messages. Ere swore loudly, as she watched displays flash frenetically. Ex came on the line,

"I'm sorry, Ere. I was trying to move the contract to another directory so I could work on it..."

"Don't worry about it, Ex. It's my fault for letting you go before hearing about what Freda had to say. That contract has a virus buried in it."

Ex said, "I figured that when the alarms went off. Yggdrasil is starting to pour more energy into enforcing that contract."

"Can you estimate how long we have before a system-wide shutdown?"

Ex looked at her screens, typed furiously on her keyboard, and said, "At the current rate of increase, about four hours."

Ere said, "Is there any way to cut off the energy flow?"

"No, we're locked out of all those controls. The energy flow has increased 0.5 percent just in the last 30 seconds."

"What about diverting the energy to another system."

More keys tapping. A furrowed brow. "That's possible. I don't see anything locking me out there. But it will take time."

"Buy us that time, Ex."

"You got it."

Back in the Eternal Chamber, Keiichi was still speaking with the Eye of Heaven.

The Eye said, _"There may be a way for you to resolve your problem. Take advantage of the Sacred Coupling between you and Belldandy. That coupling allows you to share each others powers and send energy to each other, correct?"_

Keiichi said, "Yes. We were able to defeat an enemy who attacked us in that way. How do you suggest that we use the Coupling?"

"_That's for you to discover. Talk to her. See what she says." _

"Thank you."

Keiichi placed the Eye back onto its pedestal, and returned to Belldandy, Urd and Ragnar. Ragnar had recovered from the previous stress placed upon him by helping Keiichi cope with the magic within the Chamber, and was standing as proudly as he could muster. But he couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't as powerful as he was before . He spoke to Keiichi.

"So, what did the Eye have to say?"

Keiichi recounted his conversation with the Eye as Ragnar and Belldandy listened intently.

Urd, who had also been listening chimed in. "Well, speaking as a System Administrator, there is a way we can possibly get into Yggdrasil and close the contract without you having to become human. It's very difficult and has never been tried before, and it's dangerous as hell. But it is possible."

Belldandy turned to her older sister, and pleaded, "Tell us, Urd. Please. I'll take any risk to see this through."

"Well Belldandy, because the contract is between you and Keiichi, you still maintain a connection to it through Yggdrasil. And Keiichi is the beneficiary of the contract. What we need to do is to use your connection to allow Keiichi to enter Yggdrasil, so he can personally close the contract." Keiichi blanched upon hearing this plan, but held his tongue.

"But Keiichi is no longer human. And Yggdrasil knows that. It won't let him close the contract."

"True, but while Keiichi is now a God, he **was** human. There is no precedent for a human becoming a God. His body and spiritual structure are different from ours. His transformation is changing the way Deities and Humans interact. Yggdrasil is programmed to deal with Gods and Goddesses who have always been such. But it's still trying to figure out what to do about Keiichi. If we act quickly, we may be able to get in, close the contract and get Keiichi back before Yggdrasil can fully adapt to his status. Once it does, We're out of luck.

Keiichi immediately spoke up. "I have more than a few reservations about this crazy plan. How am I supposed to get into Yggdrasil? And because Belldandy is also party to this contract, can't she close it?"

Urd said. "The only way that Belldandy can close or void a contract is if the client is dissatisfied with her performance in granting their wish, if Kami-sama issues a recall order, or if in her opinion, the wish cannot be granted. I'm going to assume that four years along, you are not dissatisfied with Belldandy's performance thus far, right? And you better choose your answer wisely, because if you don't," Urd warned, "You think your life with me has been hell so far, you haven't seen anything yet."

Keiichi quickly said "No! I'm utterly satisfied with Bell's performance. She has performed well beyond the call of duty."

Urd patted Keiichi on the head as if he was a puppy who correctly performed a trick. "Good boy, I knew you weren't as dumb as you look." She then turned to Belldandy.

"Now, Belldandy. Do you believe that Keiichi's wish was not able to be granted?"

Bell said. "Well, if Keiichi was still human, I would have done everything in my power to grant his wish. You've seen the lengths I have gone to remain by his side. I've stood up to Kami-sama himself to stand by Keiichi. And now that he is a God, and I am no longer bound by the contract, I will be with him for eternity. And if Gods and Goddesses could contract, I'd still want to be the one that would grant Keiichi's wish. So no, I do not believe that his wish cannot be granted."

Urd finished, "Well, Keiichi. That settles it. Belldandy can't close the contract herself. To answer your first question, because we don't have access to Yggdrasil via a regular terminal, we have to use a direct interface to access the computer. That means, we have to magically transmit your spiritual essence through Belldandy's connection into the area where the contract is currently stored, so that you can close the contract through magical means."

Keiichi gulped.

" I understand your concern, Keiichi. Separating mind from body is a very touch and go operation. Belldandy has to stay connected to your body at all times during the operation, so that your spirit can find its way back to the body. Otherwise, you'd be stranded within Yggdrasil forever with no way of coming back. And there's no telling how Yggdrasil would react with the essence of a God wandering around within its mainframe, especially with one that used to be human. It may crash the system causing all sorts of damage to Heaven and Earth. But by using Belldandy's connection, and staying in contact with her, you'll always have a way back. It's not painful in any way."

"So I'll be able to function as I do now?" Keiichi asked.

Urd waggled her hand. "More or less. Do you remember how I taught you to fly?"

Keiichi groaned. "Urd, you didn't teach me to fly, you gave me a quick and dirty explanation and launched me into the air."

"Details, details. It's basically like that. You'll be floating within the system, and you'll see Belldandy's connection, and just follow it. If everything goes well, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

"If everything goes well." Keiichi said warily.

"Would I lie to you?" said Urd, "On second thought, don't answer that."

"And how will I recognize the contract and how do I close it?"

"You'll know when you see it."

"That doesn't fill me with much confidence."

"Keiichi, have _some _faith in your abilities. You are a lot stronger than you think."

Keiichi's resolve, while already flagging with this latest scheme, couldn't be revived by any amount of Urd's encouragement. Annoyed, she threw her hands up in frustration. "Belldandy, please tell your boyfriend that everything will work out fine. He responds better to you."

Belldandy pulled Keiichi aside and said, "What's wrong, Keiichi?"

"Bell, the thought of my 'spirit' being pulled out of my body and thrown into a computer scares the hell out of me. Especially when I don't know what I'm looking for or how to fix it once I find it."

Bell reached out and caressed Keiichi's face. "I know that facing the unknown is scary, and that you are afraid of what could go wrong. But it's through facing the unknown and emerging through the other side that makes us stronger. You taught me that. Before I met you, I had never gotten so involved with someone that I contracted with. I just did what I had to do to make that person's wish come true to the best of my ability.

"But then I met you, and I realized that with you, it was not just about granting a wish. It was about being a part of your life. Sharing your world, and the people you hold dear. Falling in love and committing my life to you and you alone. I embraced the unknown and became so much fuller and happier having done so. And by befriending me and inviting me to live life with you, you have done the same. And you have become a fuller and more complete person. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll be with you all the way, just as I always have."

Keiichi smiled as he relented. "All right, let's get this over with. But understand that I'm only doing this for you. Not because I believe Urd."

Urd replied, "Okay, what I need you to do is stand in front of Belldandy, and hold her hands. That should be easy for you to do, until a month ago, that's all you two had ever done."

Belldandy giggled while Keiichi ignored Urd's insult. He did as she requested and stood before his Goddess and held hands. Fingers interlocked, he felt her warmth as it radiated through his body. She felt his strength, and it bolstered her confidence.

"Aren't they cute?" Urd chuckled as she stood to one side of them and put her hands on their shoulders. "Keiichi, I need you to look deep into Belldandy's eyes. Concentrate on nothing but her eyes. No matter what else happens. Got that?"

"Yes, Urd."

"Okay, here goes nothing."

Urd closed her eyes and started chanting as she continued to keep her hands on their shoulders. Keiichi stared into Belldandy's beautiful blue eyes. Looking into her eyes made Keiichi feel if he was diving into a bottomless pool of crystal clear water. He focused all his attention on Bell's eyes as he shut down every possible distraction, every thought or feeling that would keep him from his goal.

Deeper and deeper into the pool, Keiichi allowed himself to descend. As his mind's eye started to activate, he could feel his concerns starting to drift away as he allowed himself to drift on Belldandy's power. After a few moments, he started to feel his spirit start to separate from his body.

At first, the sensation jarred him a little and allowed some of his trepidations to return, but through an effort of will, and with Belldandy's words of encouragement still fresh in his mind, he was able to beat back the hesitation, and before long, he felt his spirit completely slip free from his body as if he was taking off a heavy floor-length coat. Relieved of the physical burden, Keiichi's spirit effortlessly floated within the pool. He looked around him, and all he could see were ripples and wavelets of blue water-like energy surrounding him. Holding him. Empowering him.

Finally, his mind's eye opened fully, and above him, he could see a broad white trail of energy leading off into the distance. _"This must be Belldandy's connection to Yggdrasil." _He thought to himself. He willed himself to go forward, and being careful not to let the trail leave his sight, he moved along steadily towards Yggdrasil.

Urd finished her chant, and opened her eyes. Keiichi's body was still, with a blissful look on his face. Belldandy also was smiling. "He's on his way." she said.

Chapter 24

Following the energy trail laid out before him, Keiichi started to notice images that surrounded him on all sides. They resembled videos that floated all around him. And the thing they all had in common was that they showed him and Belldandy at various times during their relationship. Eating, taking walks, attending class at Nekomi Tech, working at Whirlwind. And a few that caused Kei to blush, as they showed him and his Goddess in more intimate moments.

He concluded that he was still moving through Belldandy's mind and hadn't yet crossed over into Yggdrasil. The images must have represented some of Belldandy's memories and they reminded him of all the moments that he shared with Belldandy over the past four years. Some of the pictures were of times when Keiichi was in danger and Belldandy had to save him. Others were of times when she was in trouble, and he was the one who did the saving. Some moments made him laugh, while others made him squirm.

Seeing these pictures put Keiichi's mind at ease. They let him know that everything was going to be all right. He continued to push along, following the path to Yggdrasil.

Urd and Belldandy continued to talk amongst themselves about this latest development. Bell still had firm hold of Keiichi's hands knowing that she could not let go under any circumstance. They had called over Ragnar and Lind, who were off to one side. He was updating her about the trial of Baldur and filling in any missing details regarding the attack on the Palace. Urd and Belldandy filled in the senior Councilor and the Valkyrie about Keiichi's journey. Skuld was off by herself.

While the Littlest Goddess was still somewhat scared about being in such an odd place that was so immersed in magic as the Eternal Chamber, she knew that as long as she had Bell dandy with her, she had nothing to fear.

The Eye of Heaven still occupied the massive jewel sitting on its pedestal, and had said nothing since its conversation with Keiichi.

Ragnar said. "Allowing Keiichi's spirit to travel through Yggdrasil's core is a risky move, but I can't see any other way to solve this problem."

Urd said. "As long as Keiichi follows Belldandy's connection, he should be okay. I just hope that he can get to the contract before Yggdrasil figures out his status and reacts. No telling what the system might do. And we have no way of stopping it, if it decides that Keiichi is a threat."

Skuld entered the conversation. "If Keiichi can find the back door I installed in the wish servers, he'll be home free."

All heads turned to Skuld, and Urd said. "What back door, Skuld?"

Skuld said proudly. "The back door I installed in the wish servers. When I was assigned to the team that was supposed to patch them to allow wishes like Keiichi's not to occur again, I decided to install a back door in the software just in case I had to get back in and change things around."

Urd replied. "And why would you do something like that? Considering that you have had nothing but contempt for Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship?"

Skuld said. "Any time I do work on Yggdrasil's programming, I install back doors. It's a habit I guess. There are back doors all over Yggdrasil's code. But only I know where they are and how to get to them."

Urd said testily. "Well, it would have been nice if you have told us all this before we sent Keiichi off into the system."

Skuld shot back, "Well, nobody asked."

"Typical! Now how are going to let Keiichi know about THIS little development? We have no contact with him until he comes back."

Belldandy interjected. "Don't get mad at Skuld, Urd. She wanted to help, otherwise she wouldn't have said anything at all."

"Right!" Skuld chirped, as she hid behind Belldandy and stuck her tongue out at Urd again.

Urd rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "Is there any chance we can trade Skuld in for say, a goldfish?"

"_I might be able to help you with your problem." _A voice spoke into the minds of all present. They turned to each other trying to figure out who said it.

"_Over here. Me. The Eye of Heaven. The reason why you are all here in the first place?"_

The Goddesses and Ragnar turned towards the pedestal where the gem containing the Eye was placed. The Eye looked at each one with a raised eyebrow, as if he found them and their dilemma to be mildly entertaining. Ragnar spoke. "Oh. So you've finally decided to speak to us for a change instead of Keiichi.

The voice ignored Ragnar's quip and continued.

"_I was just listening to your conversation. I think I can help you. Because Keiichi is an Earth based God, and I am living in a gem, I have a special connection with Keiichi. I can communicate with him at a deeper level in his current state than you can."_

Belldandy said, "So that's why you allowed Keiichi to contact you instead of anyone else."

"_Right. Also there's something about him that I find fascinating. The fact that he was a human transformed into a God adds a different dimension to him. He sees and feels things differently from the rest of you. It's quite refreshing, I might add."_

So Belldandy continued. "You can get to Keiichi from here? That's wonderful!"

"_Yes, I can definitely do that. But before I help you, you have to do something for me."_

Urd looked at the Eye warily. "I don't like where this is going. Why should we trust you?"

"_Because unless you know another way to solve your dilemma, I'm the only one who can help you."_

"Well, I guess we have no other choice. We're stuck in here for the duration. What do you want us to do for you?"

"_I want you to sing for me."_

"What?"

"_I didn't stutter. I want you and the other Goddesses to sing for me."_

"And why should we sing for you?"

"_Because you have no idea how lonely it gets down here. All alone with no one to talk to. I haven't had visitors in centuries. Only a few know that I'm here and they never come to see me. It's just me and my thoughts. When you Norns arrived and woke me, I was so happy. Even though you were summoned under false pretenses, and were not of your own minds, I was glad to see some new faces. And Ragnar, my friend. It is good to see you again after so long."_

Belldandy asked Ragnar. "You've been down here before?"

Ragnar said. "Yes. Many, many years ago." And left it at that. The way he answered the question indicated that he didn't want to explain himself any more than he had to. And for the time being, no one asked him to elaborate.

As happened often with Belldandy, her heart went out to the Eye. "Oh!" She said with sorrow. "That's so sad. To know that you were here all by yourself with no one to visit you. I truly feel for you. Who put you here and why?"

The Eye fixed its gaze upon Belldandy. _"I will give you the short version because we do have to help Keiichi. Basically, when Kami-sama first created Heaven, he also created me. I am a spirit not much different than yourselves, except that I live within this gem. _

"_Unlike you and the others, I have no physical body, and have never had need of one. I have always been composed of energy and spirit. I was placed inside this gem to act as a last resort in case Heaven was in danger of attack or occupation by demonic forces. _

"_I have the ability to undo any magic that I am exposed to, including demonic magic. But my most important role is that I also have the ability to recreate Heaven including restoring Yggdrasil to its original state when it was first placed online. _

"_Because Yggdrasil and Heaven have been in existence for billions of years, activating me for this purpose would result in a complete restart of the universe from the very beginning. A complete undoing of all that has happened over the lifetime of Heaven and the universe, including the re-creation of the planet you know as Earth. Because of the devastating consequences that would occur if I were to be activated to restore Heaven to its original state, it was decided that I would be placed in this Chamber and sealed off into a separate dimension away from Heaven, and the true knowledge of my existence would be limited to a few very highly placed and trusted individuals including Kami-sama, Ragnar, and the Norns. Any other rumors that may have been circulated about my existence and purpose were disinformation spread to dissuade potential enemies. _

"_Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld were given the ability to access me via the Mjolnir __Protocol because of their unique relationship and role in the creation and running of the universe. The Protocol was set up to shield that information in your minds behind a blocking spell that could only be activated while you were under the control of the Mjolnir Device, which was supposed to only be used by Kami-sama with Ragnar concurring._

"_But, it appears that the God, Baldur, you said he was called? He stole the Device from Kami-sama's custody and was able to learn enough about it to activate it and summon you here. That is the only possible way all this could have happened. Fortunately, he was caught and disposed of before he could do any damage._

"_Which now brings us to the present. While my true role is to act as a restore option in case of the destruction of Heaven and the Universe, I am to be employed to assist in saving Heaven from a potential shutdown by Yggdrasil. And I can help you, but as I asked, you must sing for me. I don't feel that my request is unreasonable."_

Urd felt that while the Eye answered the question Belldandy posed, at least to her basic satisfaction, she was still not happy about being used to summon such a powerful artifact. "I don't like being manipulated. Even for the purpose of recreating the universe and Heaven due to an attack. And I'm sure I speak for my sisters as well. We were not asked to have this Mjolnir Protocol placed into our heads. Did Kami-sama not trust us enough to make this known to us?"

The Eye said. _"The reason the Protocol was placed upon you and your sisters in this manner was to insure that if you were captured or interrogated, you would not give up these secrets. The Protocol was designed to withstand almost all types of magical and physical interrogations. There are many enemies that would kill to see what you are seeing now. And because of your special role, you, Urd, and your sisters are especially susceptible to capture._

"_And not all these enemies are demonic, as you yourselves have witnessed. There are those in the Heavenly Realms that aren't who or what they seem. My existence and true function must be kept hidden from them. You can't give up what you don't know. Which means that once you leave here, the Protocol will be reset in the minds of you and your sisters, and the memories of me and this Chamber will be wiped from Lind and Keiichi's memory."_

"But what about Ragnar?" Lind asked.

"I know what I must do." Ragnar said slowly and with conviction. "Though it pains me to do it. My duty is clear. In order to insure that the secrets of the Eye of Heaven are kept inviolate, I must merge my spirit with that of the Eye. My friends, when you leave this Chamber, I will not be coming with you. I will transfer my life force into this gem to reside with the current spirit of the Eye...along with all those who have served as the Leader of the Heavenly Council.


	7. Part 7

Chapter 25 

The shock hit the Goddesses like a runaway freight train. They blanched as they heard the news. Ragnar would sacrifice himself to keep the secrets of the Eye of Heaven.

"I've known what I had to do all this time." Ragnar said. "One of the conditions that anyone who would be leader of the Heavenly Council must accept upon being elected to the office is that in exchange for the knowledge of the existence of the Eye of Heaven, and the ability to access this Chamber, they must one day merge their spirit with the Eye. When I told you that I was here once before, many, many years ago, it was right after I was elected leader of the Council. Kami-sama gave me access to the Chamber in order to be bound to the spirit of the Eye. I was then told that the next time that I entered the Chamber, it would be to merge with that spirit.

"Because the only reason I would have to be here is because the Norns were here also to activate the Eye due to Heaven being in imminent danger of destruction. Even though Heaven is not in danger due to a direct attack by an enemy, if we cannot get Keiichi to close the contract between him and Belldandy before Yggdrasil goes into a runaway condition and crashes, it would be almost the same as an enemy attack.

Heaven would be damaged beyond repair, and the Eye would have to be summoned anyway to restore Heaven and the Earth. Billions of years of life on Heaven and Earth wiped out in a flash. That cannot happen. We have to succeed. And the secrets of the Eye must be kept. The leader of the Council enters the Eternal Chamber only twice. Once to be bound with the spirit of the eye, and once to merge with it. A new leader will be elected and the cycle continues."

Ragnar turned to Lind and asked. "Lind, do you know why I have aged so much since I met you and Keiichi and we started the process to enter the Chamber? Do you know why I used the Old Language to access the portal from the Palace?"

Lind shook her head.

Ragnar continued. "It was to prepare my body and my spirit for this moment. I have been the leader of the Heavenly Council for 100 years Heaven time. 500 years Earth time. A mere grain of sand in Heaven's hourglass. But I was tiring of all the machinations of the Council. The give and take, the deal-making, all the games. Serving on Council is for the young. And once one is elected leader, and has been bound to the spirit of the Eye, there is no stepping down, no retirement. There is only being merged. And I take the secrets with me.

"Also, the security protocols used in protecting the Eye of Heaven are designed so that if an unauthorized person were to learn enough of the Old Language to open the portal, and get past the three doors, the effort would take so much of their life force that they would barely survive entering the Chamber."

"So what would happen if someone would be elected Council leader who had evil intent? And why weren't Keiichi and I subjected to the aging process?" asked Lind.

"Last question first, You were with me. The system recognized that, and also read your hearts and minds. It knew you meant no harm. The Eye can see into the hearts and minds of Gods and Goddesses. It can sift the most guarded thoughts and detect malice or evil no matter how well concealed. Those who attempt to deceive the Eye are immediately cast into the Dimension of Outer Darkness."

"Where Baldur is..." said Lind.

"Except they wouldn't be there for a mere ten years. They'd be there for eternity. The answer to your first question, they would be exposed the moment they entered the Chamber to bind themselves to the Eye."

All of the Goddesses shuddered at the thought. Belldandy exclaimed. "Ragnar! By merging with the Eye, does this mean that you'll..."

"Die? No, Belldandy. All that will happen is that I will give up this physical body and my spirit will enter the gem and become a part of the Eye of Heaven. My mind, thoughts and spirit will be added to those who passed before me as Leader. I will be able to share their thoughts and minds as they are able to share mine. No harm will come to me." Ragnar added with a smile. "I guess the best way to describe it will be that I'll be part of a big mass conversation that never ends. I'm quite looking forward to it, actually.

"But we have spent too much time discussing my fate. We must go to work contacting Keiichi and letting him know about the back doors in Yggdrasil. And if the Eye says that it will help you if you sing to it, then I suggest you tune up and start singing."

Urd was still not totally convinced about all that was said, but she decided against arguing about it. "I guess we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Let's get this over with."

Because Belldandy had to maintain contact with Keiichi, Urd and Skuld took up positions around him. They were just about raise their voices in song when the Eye interrupted. _"Ahem. Lind? You too."_

Lind stared at the Eye with some annoyance. "You want **me **to join in, too?"

"_That's what I said."_

"Are you sure about this?"

"_I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. You too."_

Grumbling quietly, Lind shuffled over to join the circle. "I don't like singing. Valkyries don't sing."

Urd said. "Well, if you don't like singing, how the hell did you achieve Level One Song Proficiency? That's an even higher rating than me, as much as it pains me to admit."

"I don't know. Right after I made Goddess First Class, I was tested on it, they said it was mandatory, and somehow I made Level One. It's not something I brag about."

"No, I guess not, we can't have badass Valkyries admitting that they can sing like all us 'regular' Goddesses. Wouldn't be good for your hardcore reputation."

"Urd, don't start with me. I'm not in the mood."

Before Urd could get her next word in, she was interrupted by Belldandy's crystal clear voice as she led off the song. The other Goddesses instinctively joined in, angels materializing behind them.

As always, their harmonies were exquisite. All the parts blending perfectly with nary a sour note between them. All four Goddesses forehead marks flashed on and lit up the Chamber with a dazzling blue-white light. On the pedestal, the Eye looked on seemingly in rapture. In the corner of it, a tear could be seen.

Any reservations Lind had regarding matching her singing talents against Goddesses who cast their most powerful magic in song, evaporated as the Norns began singing and caught the warrior up in the power of the song. She opened up her powerful tenor voice to lend a foundation that the other Goddesses built their complex harmonies around.

The richness of their voices combined with the natural acoustics of the chamber to produce a sound unheard in any other part of Heaven. Even Ragnar could not help but be amazed by the four voices as they stayed in perfect pitch and sync. After a few minutes, the song died away as the angels retreated back to their masters. The song continued to echo and resonate through the Chamber for long moments after the last note was sung.

There was a moment of reverential silence that filled the Chamber that was as pronounced and prayerful as the song that preceded it. Everyone turned to the Eye as if waiting for a judge to pass sentence. When it did, it spoke in a voice that was caught up in the moment and was afraid to see it end.

"_That was incredible! In the hundreds of thousands of years I've been here, I have never heard voices so pure, so wonderful. What an excellent song. Surely the work of those who truly love to sing and put their hearts and minds into using such powerful voices. It's now my turn to help you. Gaze into the gem."_

The Goddesses and Ragnar did as the Eye requested. The eye within the gem slowly disappeared replaced by a milky cloud billowing out from the jewel's center. As the cloud started to dissipate, they could see a faint outline of a figure, arms and legs stretched out as if flying. They could see the shining white path before the figure, an they could see that figure looking around as if gazing at pictures. The details eventually became clear. It was Keiichi.

Chapter 26

Keiichi had been spending the last few moments drifting on the currents of Belldandy's connection to Yggdrasil keeping the path constantly before him. He presumed that he had been traveling along for a few minutes, but it was impossible for him to know exactly how long he had been there. He continued to gaze in wonder of all the pictures surrounding him. Many of the images were of Belldandy when she was young, playing with Urd and Skuld, or being taught the ways of magic in the sacred schools. One image showed Belldandy as she was receiving her commission as a Goddess First Class, with all the company of Heaven witnessing the great event. The crowds rose as one to salute the newest Goddess to their ranks, and Belldandy took the accolades and praise as she always did, with humility, joy and a large smile that lit up any room she was in.

A few moments later, the pictures of Belldandy started to fade, and paths of other colors started to come into view. These paths criss-crossed each other, over, under, and around Keiichi on all sides. At first, all these different paths started to confuse Keiichi and he began to panic, wondering what would happen if he let his attention lapse, and he ends up following the wrong path. But as he continued to drift forward, he found that there was something, a strong feeling of some sort that kept his focus on Belldandy's path. It just _felt right _to be following her path. He didn't get the same reassurance when he attempted to follow others. He put it down to the Sacred Coupling that he and Bell shared. It was at this point that Keiichi could hear his Goddess' melodious voice speaking to his mind.

"_Keiichi?"_

"Yes?"

"_It's me, Belldandy."_

"What's going on here? Where are you?"

"_I'm still here with the rest of the group in the Chamber. The Eye has given us a chance to communicate with you. We have some very important news for you."_

"Okay. What is it?"

"_Skuld tells us that there are 'back doors' in the wish servers, that can make it easier to find and close the contract."_

"And how am I supposed to find them?"

"_I'll let Skuld tell you. She's better at these things than I am."_

Belldandy's voice faded away to be replaced by the high pitched squawk of her younger sister. "Keiichi. I don't know why I'm helping you other than that it helps Belldandy, but I built all sorts of back doors throughout Yggdrasil. And I also added one to your contract with Big Sis. Don't ask me why, I have my reasons."

Keiichi, as a former engineering student, knew more than a little about computers because of his classes at NIT, and had heard of the hacking technique known as a back door, but had never created or used one. "So what will this back door let me do?"

Skuld replied confidently. "It will allow you access to the contract without setting off any alarms in Yggdrasil—provided you know the passphrase."

"So, what's the passphrase?"

Skuld told him.

"And how did I know you were going to use _that_ as your passphrase?"

"I have to be me, Keiichi."

"Figures."

"Okay, I did my bit. Don't forget the passphrase, Keiichi. You only get one chance to use it."

"I won't forget it, Skuld."

Skuld's voice faded out.

Keiichi now had the passphrase to gain access to the contract. However, the big question still remained. How to recognize the contract when he came across it, and more importantly, how to close it. Urd said that he'd know when it saw it, but that didn't make him feel much better about this wacky plan. He only agreed to it because he knew how much stress it was putting on Belldandy knowing that she had to keep all this a secret from him. But then he wondered how she was going to deal with the situation in the first place, had she not told him. The task before him set, he continued to move along, crossing into the incredibly complicated complex that made up Yggdrasil's core.

The number of crossing pathways Keiichi encountered grew exponentially as he continued processing through Yggdrasil. There were literally millions of paths surrounding him on all sides. Flashing lights zoomed along each path representing bits of data. Each path showing its purpose by its color. Red paths connected critical systems and core functions. Blue tied together energy systems. Yellow concerned itself with security. Purple carried out maintenance.

And a multitude of other colors not found on Earth were designated for functions that Keiichi had no clue as to their purpose. But the White ones were the ones he was most focused on, as they were the pathways that connected Goddesses to their clients. And there was one that showed brighter than all the rest and that was Belldandy's. She had never led him astray in the physical world and had complete trust that she would not do so as he was wandering through Yggdrasil.

Ex was still hard at work trying to figure out a way to stanch the flow of energy Yggdrasil was pouring into the rogue contract. In the past hour, the energy flow increased 10% to a total flow of 28%. She knew that Yggdrasil would start really feeling the effects of the transference of energy once the total flow reached 51%.

At that point, the computer's programming would kick in to shut down the less critical systems first, because the virus contained in the contract had fooled the operating system into thinking that enforcing the contract was a high priority job that overrode all other processes. As the virus code would continue to request more and more resources, more critical systems would start to shut down, freeing up energy to be rerouted into the contract. 

The total flow would continue to rise at an ever increasing rate until it reached 75% where the virus would shut down the final failsafes, causing Yggdrasil to enter a runaway condition allowing more and more energy to feed the contract until the system went into a catastrophic crash. If that happened, the backup system would try and kick in, but Hild's virus had already taken that process into account. When the virus first launched, one of its first instructions was to also infect the backup system.

The backup system would then repeat the same scenario all over again, but at twice the rate of increase. Once that happened, Yggdrasil's backup would fail in a matter of seconds. And once the backup system died...Ex didn't even want to contemplate the results of that.

So she pulled out every trick she knew to slow down the energy flow until she could catch up. She created dummy contract files to try and divert some of the energy into them, and they worked for a while, until the virus caught on to what she was doing and deleted the decoys. She even used her elite hacker skills to open a link into Yggdrasil's demonic counterpart, Nidhogg, which controlled the machinery of Niflheim, to deflect some of the energy into their systems. She succeeded initially until she received a rather nasty message from the head system admin in Niflheim telling her in very unpleasant terms what would happen to her and Yggdrasil if she ever tried to pull a stunt like that again.

Ex smiled as she read the message. The admins who ran Nidhogg had no clue that Ex had been sneaking and peeking around in their system for years. She knew that system as well as, if not better, than the demonic admins did. The demons figured that Goddesses were too morally superior, and above sneaking around in foreign computer systems so they didn't employ the latest and most secure techniques to harden their networks.

But they didn't count on Ex. She wasn't a field Goddess, so she wasn't bound to the much more stringent standards of conduct they were expected to follow. Consequently, she had no problem whatsoever in foraging around other people's computers, especially if they were so accommodating as to leave the front door open, and she exploited Nidhogg's lax security procedures to cruise around their system all the time, and those stupid demons didn't have any idea she was there.

She never took anything, nor caused any damage. Although with the collection of software and hacks she scrounged or coded together over the years, she could bring down Niddhog or even Yggdrasil if she really wanted to.

No. She just liked wandering around and seeing what she could find. And like any conscientious Goddess, she reported anything abnormal or any intelligence she found regarding potential attacks or plans against Heaven to her higher-ups. And Ex was always careful to cover her tracks and leave things the way she found them. Just in case one of the demonic admins got a case of the smarts and actually checked their logs periodically.

Officially, her activities were not condoned by Ere or any of the other Yggdrasil admins, but neither were they condemned either. Ere once told her, "I don't know, I don't want to know. Just don't get caught."

And that's all the permission Ex needed.

Despite Ex's two attempts to divert the energy, the energy flow didn't increase appreciably, only 2 points to 30%. Ex knew she still had time to fix the problem, but that time was slipping away.

As she was trying a few other tricks, she glanced at the overall map depicting the energy flows to and from the various areas of Yggdrasil. To the untrained eye, it was a massive jumble of lines and symbols that came together like a ball of yarn after a kitten had gotten hold of it, with dots of light flowing along those lines in every direction and dimension possible.

Even some admin goddesses had problems trying to decipher the spaghetti like strands of energy and data flows. But Ex wasn't an ordinary admin goddess. Through constant exposure and work with the most intimate and complex parts of the master computer, she could determine where every data line connected, and she could ride those processes with great ease.

But despite the fire hose of information being sent to her, she was able to see one bit of data that didn't quite seem right. It was traveling along the data line that connected Belldandy to her contract with Keiichi. And while that line was still live with energy from Yggdrasil being pumped into enforcing the corrupted contract, there was that one mote of data that caught her eye and piqued her attention. Fingers flying across her console, issuing a constant stream of commands, she zoomed in on that unusual bit of data. It seemed to be heading from Belldandy's interface to the contract, and was traveling a little slower than the surrounding data, as if it was looking around and being extra cautious in following the path laid before it. _"That's odd behavior." _Ex said to herself. She punched a few more keys and gaped in surprise at what she saw.

"_Keiichi? What the hell? And how did he get into the system through a direct interface?"_

Ex opened a link to Kei. "Keiichi!"

Keiichi heard Ex's voice coming into his mind. It surprised him because he hadn't heard her voice since she came to Earth on a mission from Peorth to deliver a spell to Belldandy. "Who is this?"

"This is Ex. What are you doing."

"I'm trying to shut down the contract."

"How do you know about the contract?"

Keiichi told her the story from the time Belldandy revealed her secret to him up to the time he was sent into the system. In turn, Ex told him about the virus within the contract, and her efforts to stop Yggdrasil from crashing.

Keiichi said "Maybe we can work together to try to stop this from blowing up in our faces. Skuld told me that she had installed a back door into the contract that can bypass any alarms."

Ex muttered. "Why that little... I'll have a serious talk with her when I see **her **again." While she wasn't exactly excited that Skuld had been hacking around in Yggdrasil, she actually had to mentally compliment the little goddess for her resourcefulness. After all, Skuld hadn't been doing anything that Ex herself wouldn't have done.

She returned to Keiichi. "The most important thing right now is to make sure that Yggdrasil doesn't see you as a threat and try to attack you as a bit of rogue data, in its compromised state with this virus, we have to be extremely careful. How did you get placed into Yggdrasil through a direct interface?"

Keiichi responded. "Urd did it with Belldandy's help." I'm following Bell's path right now."

Ex said. "Okay, just keep doing that. I'll try to disguise your data signature so that you don't trip any alarms. I'll keep in touch." She closed the link.

Keiichi felt a little better knowing that now he had help from both ends of Belldandy's connection to Yggdrasil. He willed himself to go faster. The data paths streaked by as a whirl of colors as he sped through the connection.

After a few moments, he saw in the distance a large white six-sided cube into which Belldandy's path terminated. The cube had sections of it which were colored gray, and those areas were slowly spreading across the faces of the cube like an encroaching mold. He thought to himself, _"This must be our contract. And the gray must be the virus." _

As he came closer, he could see that the cube had Belldandy's Goddess symbol emblazoned on it in bright golden letters. He also saw below the symbol, the runes that spelled out his name in the language of Heaven. He tried to enter the cube, but it blocked his way.

Keiichi wondered whether this was the time to use Skuld's passphrase. But he hesitated because of her admonition that it could only be used once. And he had no idea what would happen if he used it more than once. Typical of Skuld not to tell him about that part.

But then he remembered a number of times when there was a problem with his contract in the past, the problem was solved by repeating the phrase containing his original wish. He remembered the one instance when he almost lost Belldandy after the Lord of Terror incident when the carnage wrought in fighting the demonic heir crashed Yggdrasil's main system and deleted their contract.

All he had to do was repeat the original wish to Yggdrasil's admins and the contract would have been restored. But as usual, he screwed up by reciting the wish with one word wrong. And Yggdrasil didn't deal in approximations. It was only after some rather unauthorized eavesdropping by Ere, Urd and Lind, that they were able to get the proper activation and the contract restored. Not one of Keiichi's finer moments.

But this time, he made sure he had the wish committed to memory. Facing the cube, he recited the wish word for word: _"I would like for a Goddess, like you, to stay by my side forever."_

For a few anxious moments, nothing happened. Keiichi became concerned that once again, he messed up. He was about to repeat the phrase again when the cube slowly unfolded outward into a virtual piece of paper, very similar to the message cube that contained his First Class selection notice from the Department of Examinations.

Written on the paper was what looked like standard Goddess contract language that stated that the Goddess in question, one Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License, named Belldandy was obliged to stay by the side of one human of Japanese extraction named Keiichi Morisato forever.

It also contained language to the effect of what penalties could be incurred should the contract be breached, and how the contract could be terminated, just like Urd told him. There were a bunch of other codes and symbols that Keiichi didn't comprehend, and at the bottom of the contract was Bell's Goddess symbol and his name in Heavenly runes.

He took a moment to look over the contract. This was the document that brought a stunning and beautiful Goddess into his life. One who had no clue how life was lived on Earth, but was quick to learn. And learn she did. She could perfectly execute the most routine and complex tasks by just seeing it done once. She marked perfect grades in the short time she attended Nekomi Tech with Keiichi. She also learned about her own flaws and insecurities. She learned about her jealousy and naivete. But despite her dark side, Keiichi never gave up on her. And she would always love him for that.

She touched so many lives in so many ways, and inspired not only Keiichi but his friends and loved ones also. This mysterious Goddess who originally came to him because of this contract, was now bound to him due to nothing more than unconditional love. And that love changed his life in ways he could have never imagined when he was in that dorm room four years ago.

He became a God through that love. Gained magical powers. Exacted revenge on Hild when she attacked and Belldandy sacrificed herself to protect her man. And learned how to truly love a Goddess. There were so many great and not-so-great times, but even then, he never regretted one moment of it.

But now it was time to close this contract, as it wasn't needed any longer. He was a God now, and he and Belldandy were bound together as God and Goddess, never to be separated again.

To make sure that he didn't cause Yggdrasil to detect him, he had to use Skuld's back door. He inwardly groaned at the words he had to say, but he had no choice. He was resigned to his fate. He placed his hand on the contract and said _"Skuld is the Greatest, Belldandy Rules, Keiichi Drools!"_

Instantly, a bright flash covered the contract. A clear shield rose from its surface, surrounding Keiichi and the document in an invisible covering. He and the contract were isolated from Yggdrasil, and the virus. He could now go about the business of closing the contract.

At her console, Ex immediately noticed that the energy flow to the contract was being blocked. She waited for alarms to sound, and chaos to reign, but it didn't happen. Saying to herself _"He must have activated the back door." _ She continued to peck away at her keyboard setting up a disguise in case the virus caught on.

Keiichi once again faced the contract. He was told that he'd know what to do when it came time to close the contract. But his mind drew a blank. Was there a specific ritual that he needed to perform? Did he have to cast a spell? _"Damn, I wish Bell or Urd would have told me what to do!"_ Keiichi muttered to himself.

A thought came into his mind. _"Why don't you just declare it closed, say you don't need it anymore?"_

"Is it really that easy?"

"_You'll never know until you try."_

"Is this...?"

"_No."_

"How can I trust you"

"_You don't trust your own mind"_

"Great! I'm arguing with myself."

"_What else is new? Let's get this over with. We have a Goddess to get back to."_

"Damn Straight!"

Keiichi once again extended his hands to the virtual document. He closed his eyes and activated his mind's eye. And in a steady and commanding voice he said:

"I am Keiichi Morisato. God First Class. Eternal Companion of the Goddess Belldandy, and the Beneficiary of this contract. As of this moment, I no longer have need for Goddess First Class Belldandy to stay by my side. She has completed her commitment to me above and beyond her highest calling. She has satisfied my every need, desire and want. I hereby release her from this obligation, and declare this contract completed, and fulfilled with my highest recommendation."

No sooner had those last words left Keiichi's mouth than the wording of the contract had changed. Above Belldandy's Goddess symbol and Keiichi's name, the word, **'Completed'** appeared in the language of Heaven. The shield lifted as the paper reformed back into its cube shape. The gray discoloring covering the cube receded until it was no more. As a final act. Keiichi's God symbol, which he had never seen before, appeared on the face of the cube. It had merged with Belldandy's Goddess mark to create a new symbol combining the elements of both of Kei and Bell's symbols, and added a few new marks never seen before.

Keiichi had no idea what the new symbol stood for. He'd ask Belldandy when he had time.

He turned to go when the alarms went off again.


	8. Chapter 8 and Epilogue

Chapter 27

"_What now?"_ Keiichi thought. _"The contract's closed. Everything should be all right now." _

Ex scrambled like a Goddess possessed as her screens were taken over by an avalanche of pop-up boxes throwing all sorts of error codes and other system messages.

Staying cool, and working efficiently, she checked the screen showing Yggdrasil's energy flows, and was glad to see that Keiichi's acts had stopped the energy flow into the now closed contract between he and Belldandy.

"_Good! He succeeded in closing the contract!"_ Ex thought. _"But what the hell is going on now?" _

After a flurry of commands and some quick hack and slash scripting later, she found out her answer.

Ere's face popped up on her chat screen. "Ex, what the hell...talk to me!"

"No time to talk, Ere. Keiichi's got to get out..."

"What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Keiichi?"

"I'll tell you later. Keiichi's in big trouble!" Ex screamed as she closed the chat window.

She opened Keiichi's link, and as calmly as she could muster under the circumstances, she spoke. "Keiichi! This is Ex. You need to get out of Yggdrasil as fast as you can!"

"Why? What's the deal with the alarms?"

"Dammit, Keiichi! Don't argue with me. Get your butt moving. Yggdrasil is responding to an attack by a foreign invader."

"Who, What?"

"You!"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Apparently, when you closed the contract, your God symbol was attached to it, and one of the final directives of the virus placed on that contract was to convince Yggdrasil that you were a threat to the system. It's sending Thor, the defensive program to intercept you. You must not let that program catch you. If it does, it will act according to its programming."

"Which means?"

"It is programmed to eliminate the threat."

"That means it'll...?"

"Kill you." Ex finished Keiichi's words.

"Can't you rewrite its programming?"

"No. the code is too deeply ingrained in Yggdrasil's core. I can't touch it without affecting the lowest levels of the system. Messing with that stuff will bring down Yggdrasil for sure. And if it goes down while you're still in there, you're just as dead. One other thing."

"Yeah?"

"Belldandy."

"What about her?"

"You two share a Sacred Coupling, don't you?"

"Yes...Oh. My. God!" Keiichi cried as the implications of their bond hit home.

_Whatever happens to him..._

"Move it, Keiichi. I'll try to run interference for you, but my options are very limited. You're pretty much on your own. Good luck."

Ex closed her link with Keiichi. Infused with all the Godly energy he could muster, Keiichi put all his effort into returning back to Belldandy as quickly as possible. He streaked through Yggdrasil's infinite layers of magic infused code. Connections and data paths streaked by as a blur of crazy colors. The path back to Belldandy lay before him, a constant, steady beacon leading him back to his one and only love. But would he be able to get back in time?

As he rocketed through the tangle of ten-dimensional bits and bytes, one thought continually echoed through his mind. And while he didn't intend for it to be transmitted, it was anyway.

"_Belldandy! Help me!"_

With nothing else to do but wait for Keiichi's return, the Goddesses and Ragnar talked amongst each other. Urd was giving Skuld a hard time about one of her failed inventions, to which Skuld loudly protested that her creations never failed, they just didn't always work they way she intended.

Lind and Ragnar were off by themselves talking quietly about his impending merging with the Eye.

The Eye was quietly sitting on its pedestal thinking whatever thoughts a preternatural all-powerful being formed at the dawn of time thought.

And Belldandy stood in the center of it all, hands firmly grasping those of her man, Keiichi.

She was in her quiet place. Alone with her thoughts. Living in the now, as her calling as Goddess of the Present dictated.

Bell never worried about the past. As powerful as she was, she couldn't change it without severe consequences. And the future would take care of itself. So she lived life as it came. She cherished each moment as it presented itself and when it was gone, eagerly anticipated the next.

Keiichi's call for help hit Belldandy and caused her eyes to snap open as she was jarred from her reverie. _"Keiichi!" _She thought to herself as a gasp escaped her lips. _"He's in trouble. I must go to him!" _The others heard her gasp, but before any of them had a chance to rush to Bell's side, she slumped to the ground, eyes rolled back into her head, still holding Keiichi's hands.

"What happened?" Ragnar shouted. "Belldandy passed out."

Urd came over, and dropped to her knees. Holding out her hands over her sister's head, and chanting a spell. A few seconds later. "She's entered Yggdrasil. Keiichi must be in trouble."

Ragnar responded, "Do we know what the implications are for her doing this? You said that sending Keiichi into Yggdrasil through her connection was dangerous. How about Bell entering her own connection? Will she be able to get back, as well as bring Keiichi with her?"

For once, Urd was speechless. "I don't know. This is unprecedented. I've never seen this done before." Then after a moment of thinking, she finally realized the unintended implications of Belldandy's actions. "Why, Bell. Is he truly worth **that** much?"

As she often did, Belldandy didn't bother to weigh the cost to her own personal safety when she heard a call for help from anyone, especially Keiichi. She didn't know what danger she was putting herself into, and frankly, she didn't care. All she knew was that someone was in peril, and that she was bound by her own morals as well as her oath as a Goddess to render aid. Her spiritual essence abandoned all concerns for its welfare as she flew with all deliberate speed to Keiichi's side.

Meanwhile, Keiichi was flying as fast as he could to get out of Yggdrasil before it could send Thor after him. He was very deep within the computer's core, and still had a ways to go before crossing over into Belldandy's memory space. He figured that once he got there, he'd be okay.

But he wasn't entirely sure. He looked over his shoulder and noticed with horror that the data paths and connections he had seen on the way in, were no longer there. In their place, was a roiling, fluid-like, black object pursuing him. Thor.

It looked like a huge drop of crude oil. Rippling, flowing, the white data paths reflecting off its obsidian surface. Menacing and relentless. And it was gaining ground on Keiichi.

"_Yggdrasil's defensive program! If that thing catches me, I'm toast!" _Keiichi thought. _"If I try to attack it to slow it down, will that bring down Yggdrasil? Don't even think about that. Just have to keep moving." _He was already going as fast as he could, but Thor was still gaining.

Ex was watching the pursuit on her own screens. Unable to help Keiichi. She tried to recall the program, but it refused to obey her commands. Figuring that she didn't have the administrator rights required, she hacked into another head admin's account, and attempted to issue the same recall command, to no avail. She called Ere.

"Ere, did you see Thor activate?"

After Ex had hung up on Ere when she asked about why Keiichi was in the system in the first place, Ere switched on her own console and was monitoring the situation, but she decided to let Ex take the lead and resolve the matter herself, vowing only to step in if the junior admin had gotten in over her head.

Ere had all confidence in Ex's abilities, after all, she trained Ex herself. But she also knew that messing with Yggdrasil's defensive program was going into territory that was well beyond her protege's expertise.

"Ex, I did see it. I'm not sure there's much I can do on my end. Once the defensive systems activate, they won't shut down until the threat is eliminated."

"Is there anything you can do to at least slow it down? You have higher admin privileges than I do." said Ex.

"I know a few tricks. But I doubt they'll work." Ere retorted. "But, check your screen. Our big problem just got a whole lot bigger."

"Oh, no!"

"Oh, yes!"

"Belldandy?"

"Um, hm."

"If Thor catches her with Keiichi, don't forget, they share the Sacred Coupling. Whatever happens to him, also affects her. If she's eliminated..."

"And remember, she's a Norn."

"Oh, shit!"

"If she's eliminated." Ere said solemnly, "You can kiss everything goodbye. She'll take down Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil will tie the universe in knots, Heaven will fall.

"Well, that'll just ruin our day." quipped Ex.

Ere had no choice but to smile at Ex's gallows humor. What else could she do?

Keiichi kept his mind on one thing...reuniting with Belldandy. He didn't figure that any spell in his arsenal would slow the onrushing program down, much less stop it. So he concentrated on flying as fast as he possibly could and just outrunning the thing. He was so preoccupied, that he almost didn't see the blasts of energy coming at him from the opposite direction.

The pulses flew just over his head, and struck Thor hard. The blob of data and magic flinched for a few seconds as if trying to make heads or tails of what happened. Bolts of energy crackled as they slid over the pitch-black surface, but they did nothing to stop the program, merely slowed it down for a few precious seconds.

Keiichi looked for the source of those energy beams, and his heart leapt with both excitement and deep concern at the form of his Goddess heading straight for him, covering his escape with her blasts.

_Belldandy._

Keiichi and Belldandy almost collided. She grabbed him and held on tight.

"Keiichi, my love!" Bell shouted with glee.

"Belldandy! You heard my thoughts." Keiichi said.

"Yes, I did. I came to save you."

"Bell, I'll have to thank you later. But right now we have to get out of here."

"Yes. Keiichi, engage Sacred Coupling."

"Belldandy, engage Sacred Coupling."

With that, both Kei and Bell shared their powers to double their flying speed. Hand in hand, the two lovers barreled through Yggdrasil. Their boost of speed initially left Thor far behind, but it quickly reacted and increased its speed to close the gap. The program was only 15 seconds behind Keiichi and Belldandy and was gaining fast. By their reckoning, they would reach Belldandy's memory space in 2 minutes.

Chapter 28

Ere and Ex worked together to try and stop Thor. They tried every little authorized and unauthorized trick both of them knew, but nothing seemed to work. They had to be extremely careful because of the programs' hooks into the deepest and most crucial parts of Yggdrasil's architecture. One misstep, and stopping the rampaging code would be the least of their worries.

They retraced the series of events going back to Keiichi's closing of the contract, and the triggering of the final instructions of Hild's virus in order to dig up any clues. They pulled up the contract itself, and were happy to see that doing so didn't trip any alarms.

The energy flow to the contract was safely contained, and the contract could finally be archived and moved back into its proper directory on the wish servers. But before they did so, Ere took one last look at the contract, just to make sure all the 'i's were crossed and the 't's, dotted.

She clicked on the image of the cube, and using a special override code she received from Freda, the chief admin at the Goddess Assistance Agency, she opened the contract and reviewed the contents. All seemed to be in order. After the document resumed its cube shape, her eye was drawn to the odd symbol on its face. The merging of Keiichi and Belldandy's symbols into a new mark.

Ere called Ex. "Ex, take a look at this symbol on Keiichi's contract. Have you ever seen anything like that before?"

"No." said Ex. "two Deity symbols merged into one? That is odd. I know a bunch of other Goddesses who are in Sacred Couplings, and the symbols of them and their mates have never combined before."

"I wonder if it has something to do with Keiichi being born human?" Ere pondered. "He is the first God to start out mortal and enter into a Sacred Coupling with a Goddess. A Norn, nonetheless. That has to trigger all sorts of weird glitches within Yggdrasil." She thought for a moment, then shouted. "I have an idea."

"Talk to me, Ere."

"Are we still in contact with Keiichi?"

Ex opened her link. "We are now. Keiichi?"

Keiichi sounded harried. "Yes, Ex? Whatever you have to say, make it quick. We're kinda in a jam here."

Ex continued. "Am I to assume by 'we', that Belldandy is with you?"

"Hello Ex! Nice to meet you again." Belldandy answered cheerfully.

Ere and Ex looked at each other in surprise. "I don't think she has a clue about what's going on. Then again, with her, that might not be a bad thing." remarked Ex.

"That's Belldandy for you." said Ere. Speaking to Kei and Bell. "All right, you two. I have an idea. This might work, it might not. You only have time to do this once. What I need you to do is to stop where you are, face Thor, and project your symbols at it. Keiichi, you have been taught how to raise and project your God symbol, haven't you?"

"Until I closed the contract, I didn't even know I had one. I think I can raise it."

"Belldandy will help you. Do it now, while you have time."

Keiichi said to Belldandy. "Well, what do you think?"

"I know Ere." Bell said. "She's very good at what she does. I trust her."

"If that's good enough for you, it's all right by me. Otherwise..."

Taking a deep breath, they both slowed down, turned around, and faced Thor. The massive black presence caught up with them and stopped. It made no attempt to capture or eliminate them. It just sat there, waiting like a lion stalking its prey.

Keiichi and Belldandy linked hands. They closed their physical eyes and opened their mind's eye. Using the increased power afforded them by the Sacred Coupling, they formed their respective symbols in their minds and through their outstretched hands allowed the power to flow.

The two deities' symbols materialized before them in rich golden color and in perfect detail. They pushed the marks forward to shine on Thor's surface. The symbols started out separate, but then before Keiichi and Belldandy's eyes, they began to merge together. Belldandy's symbol sliding over Keiichi's to form a new sign. The same exact sign Keiichi had seen on the closed contract.

The design slowly embedded itself into Thor's surface. Kei and Bell stared at the program in awe. Why hadn't the program attacked? It had them where it wanted them. They put up no resistance.

But the defender refused to respond. As the mark continued to sink into Thor, it started to change color. The bottomless black void started to give way to the same golden hue as the symbols of the God and his Goddess.

After a moment, what was a presence as dark as a moonless night shown in purest, precious gold. Thor started to fade away. But before it left, it spoke: _"I am Thor. I defend Yggdrasil from all threats. My mission is clear, my vigil, eternal. I was corrupted by a virus that forced me to pursue you. It altered my programming causing me to consider you a threat. I now know that you are not so. Had I attacked you, the damage caused would have been impossible to repair. To destroy a Norn would have brought about the destruction of Yggdrasil and of the universe itself. Keiichi Morisato, and Belldandy, please accept my apologies."_

"Apologies accepted." said Belldandy. "You were acting under the spell of another, I cannot hold you responsible for that. Please go in peace and carry on with your mission."

Thor responded. _"Thank you, Belldandy. Your reputation is as I have heard all throughout time. You are a fair and honest Goddess who sees the good in all creatures. Even those made of code and magic. And to you, Keiichi Morisato. For you to have won the love of a Norn reflects highly upon you. You have my respect and my friendship. Before I take my leave, permit me to conduct you to your destination. Farewell, friends."_

Once Thor had been fixed, it was only a matter of time before Ere and Ex had finally cleaned up the mess Hild's virus had made of Yggdrasil. Keiichi and Belldandy's contract had been moved back into the GAA's servers and placed under an extra-strong magical seal to insure that it wouldn't be disturbed again.

The systems affected were repaired. Yggdrasil suffered no serious effects, and fortunately no major systems had to be rebooted, which would have caused much complaining and consternation.

The vast majority of the citizens of Heaven had no clue how close they were to being wiped out of existence. And if Kami-sama was observing any of the action, he wasn't saying anything. Exhausted after a long, hard slog, the admins leaned back in their chairs, and reflected on all that had passed. Ex turned to Ere and said, "Good thinking, Boss. How did you know that would work?"

"I didn't. It just felt right."

"Good guess, then. I don't know about you, Ere, but this deserves a drink. First Angel's Breath is on me."

"No, we're gonna stick the GAA with the bill. This was their mess. By the way, Good job. "

"Thanks." Both Goddesses shut down their consoles and headed out to do some serious drinking.

Belldandy and Keiichi awoke in the Eternal Chamber, surrounded by Ragnar and the Goddesses. Still holding hands. Belldandy threw her arms around Keiichi and hugged him fiercely. She leaned in to kiss him, until the sound of a clearing throat stopped her.

"Ahem! There's plenty of time for that later." said Urd, while Skuld did a slow burn.

"What's the status of the contract?"

"The contract is officially closed and fulfilled. Yggdrasil and the universe are safe." Keiichi announced proudly. Shouts of relief and congratulations resounded through the Chamber. Hugs were liberally passed around, and Keiichi found himself in the middle of a Goddess sandwich with Lind on one side and Belldandy on the other. He started to sweat until Bell whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, you'll make it up to me later."

Chapter 29

After everyone had a chance to settle down, the Eye called everyone to the pedestal.

"_My friends, this has been a great day. You have all done very well in preventing this threat from manifesting. Though I was created to restore Heaven and the Universe in case of an attack, rest assured, it's not a mission that I was looking forward to completing. But here I will sit until that day comes, though hopefully not anytime soon._

"_And I will not be alone. For my friend, Ragnar will be with me. Don't feel sorry for him, friends. He knew this day would come eventually. He will be spending eternity with me and all those who came before him as Leaders of the Heavenly Council. _

"_I have been witness to some of the debates that occur between the Leaders, and they can be quite spirited and entertaining indeed. I'm sure Ragnar will feel right at home._

"_Besides, if that faithful day comes when I have to be activated, someone will have to constitute the new Council. Who better than those who led it in the past? But, of course, that secret stays here with me. Ragnar, do you have anything to add?"_

Facing his friends, Ragnar bowed deeply and said. "You have summed it up. I have nothing more to say, other than it has been a pleasure meeting all of you, and serving Heaven as Leader of the Council."

"Before you go, can you tell us who you think should be our next Council Leader?" Belldandy asked.

Ragnar smiled and turned to Belldandy. Looking down into her deep blue eyes. "I know of one who is eminently qualified, and I'm sure the job would be hers for the asking. Although, I believe she's quite happy doing just what she's doing right now." Ragnar kissed her on the cheek.

He turned to Keiichi. "Keiichi, you are a good man, you showed much courage in taking on such a dangerous mission. You will make a powerful and wise God. Heaven can use your talents. We are entering a new age of interaction between Gods, Goddesses and humans. You can go a long way towards making that path much smoother. Give it some thought." Ragnar then gently pushed Keiichi and Belldandy together and put his hands on their shoulders. "Take care of each other. Watch over each other. Learn from each other and most of all, love each other." Kei and Bell looked at each other and said "We already do, Ragnar. We already do."

Nodding in approval. Ragnar then went over to Lind, Urd and Skuld and passed on words of wisdom to them.

To Lind he said, "Continue to be the great warrior you are called to be. But just remember that there is a whole world beyond the end of your battleaxe. It's all right to explore it every now and then."

To Skuld, he said, "You, little Skuld, have the potential to be as great as your big sister, Belldandy. Follow in her footsteps. Learn from her, but also forge your own path."

And finally to Urd, "You are the oldest, the protector, the defender. You are their passion, their fire, their strength. Continue to inspire your sisters to grab life and wring all the joy and happiness they can out of it."

It was now time for Ragnar to take his leave. He strode over to the Eye, and looking into the depth of the fiery red gem, he took a deep breath and uttered, "I am ready."

The eye within the gem flashed, and a blue-white beam shot out and enveloped Ragnar. A serene look came over his face as he began fading away. Despite his admonition to not cry nor feel sorry for him, the Goddesses could not help but start shedding tears as he disappeared from their sight.

The Chamber fell silent but for the muffled sobs of the Goddesses. Keiichi just stood there. Absorbing Ragnar's last words. Muddling them over in his mind. He wondered whether it was true that Heaven could use him. He was a klutzy, unlucky human who made a phone call and received a Goddess, who fell in love with that Goddess and in so doing, became a God himself. A story that would have only been found in a manga.

What could someone like him teach a Heaven which had been around since the dawn of time?

The sobs eventually died away. The Eye turned to the rest of the gang and said,

"_My friends, it is time for you to leave this place. You have lives that must be lived, and you can't live them, while you're stuck here. While I cannot allow you to retain your memories of my location or my function, I can allow you to remember the words Ragnar left for you. Norns, the Mjolnir Protocol has been reset in your minds. I hope that you'll never have to have it reactivated again. Keiichi and Lind, the pleasure of meeting and knowing you, has been mine. Farewell."_

Chapter 30

Keiichi and the Goddesses found themselves lying in the courtyard of Tarikihongan Temple. A cool breeze was blowing, and there was a slight chill in the air. The sky was a little overcast and the most striking sight was that the leaves were starting to fall from the trees. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds.

Keiichi was the first to get up and he looked around. The last memory he had of the temple, before going off to Heaven, was that it was still very much spring. But now, it looked as if fall was here. Did he miss the entire summer? He roused the other Goddesses, and as they awoke, they looked around and were as shocked as he was.

"What the hell happened to Spring?" Urd complained. Skuld echoed her older sister's words, "Yeah, it's chilly out here. How long have we been gone?"

Keiichi went to the temple porch and checked the mailbox. It was overflowing with past due bills, junk mail, and to Keiichi's despair, disconnection notices for the phone, gas, and electricity that were at least three months old.

He opened the door and checked the calendar. One look told him that he and the Goddesses had been gone at least six months. He went down to the closest phone booth and called time and weather and was told that the day was the 15th of October. It was true, they had been in Heaven for six months Earth time.

But because time moves so much slower there than on Earth, it only felt like a few days. And the time spent in the Eternal Chamber had to have affected their time away from Earth as well because the Chamber was located in a separate dimension away from Heaven altogether and was subject to its own time dilation.

But none of that mattered to Keiichi now. Because he had been gone for so long, the temple had fallen into disrepair, the utilities had been shut off, and he had no idea whether he still had a job working for Chihiro. She had to have hired a new mechanic by now.

Urd strolled up to Keiichi, and leaned in close. "Kei, you know we don't have electricity, which means that the TV won't work, which makes Urd very cranky. And when Urd is cranky, she takes it out on Keiichi. So what are we going to do about this?" She said sweetly.

Keiichi shot back. "As I remember, Urd, your dominant element is electricity. You can cast a spell that will put the lights back on."

"I know I can, I just like giving you a hard time." Urd snapped her fingers and all the lights in the temple and the house came on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have six months of TV to catch up on." Urd floated away towards her room.

Skuld was feeling charitable towards Keiichi for once. "Keiichi, I'll set up a generator that will make electricity until you can get the bill paid. But you owe me!"

"What else is new?" Keiichi mumbled.

Skuld ran off, and Lind approached. "Am I still welcome to take the rest of my vacation here?"

"Of course." said Keiichi. "Stay as long as you like. Thanks for all of your help."

"No problem. I want to thank you. You have taught me a lot about having friends in whom I can trust and how to have fun. I'm thinking about relaxing some of the regulations regarding Valkyries and personal relationships. I think it's time for us Valkyries to let our hair down and become a bigger part of the community. Our standards and training will still be high, that's one compromise we will never make, but we need to learn how to be more like regular Goddesses."

"Is there anyone you have in mind in terms of starting a relationship?"

"If he wasn't already taken, I'd be looking at him." Lind said with a sly smile as she stared Keiichi in the eye.

Keiichi gulped.

"Ragnar was right. You are a good man, Keiichi. I hope that one day, I'll find a God like you. Let me know if Belldandy ever gets tired of you." Lind waved her hands in a gesture and magically changed into her workout clothes. Her battleaxe appeared at her side. "I don't know about you, Keiichi. But I feel a workout coming on. See you later." She smiled, blew Kei another kiss and walked away.

Keiichi was all alone in the courtyard. He looked around for Belldandy, but she was nowhere to be found. Mildly concerned, he entered the temple house, and checked the Tea Room. No one there. He looked in the kitchen. No Belldandy. She wasn't in Urd's or Skuld's rooms either. There was only one other place she could be. And if she was there, he pretty much knew what was coming.

He slid open the door to his room. And a very happy and very naked Belldandy tackled him and pushed him to the floor. Without saying a word, she raised the pocket dimensional portal that sealed them off from the rest of the temple. She ripped off Keiichi's clothes, and putting a finger to his lips, commenced to making passionate love to her man. As their energies rose, Keiichi thought to himself, _ "I guess I have a lot of making up to do." _He leaned back and let Belldandy have her way with him.

A few hours later, the two lovers came up for air. They lay side by side. Both of them expended a lot of energy. Keiichi was the first to speak.

"So, Belldandy. Are we even? Have I made up enough to you?"

"No, Keiichi." Bell said with a touch of mischief. "My dear, you have a long way to go before I call it even."

"Before I start paying some more, answer this question. Why did our symbols merge together? This isn't something that happens all the time, is it?"

Belldandy looked at Keiichi as if he asked her the stupidest question in history.

"That's an easy question, Keiichi. It's a sign that shows that we are two who have become one. We have become stronger than our individual strengths. We are inseparable.

"Other Gods and Goddesses have made Sacred Couplings, but ours is special, and unique. I knew you and loved you when you were still human. That was supposed to be impossible. We are the first of what may be a new kind of couple. We have proven that Gods and Humans can live, love and learn from each other. From this day forward, the worlds of Heaven and Earth will never be the same. It is truly an exciting time in history."

"Do you think that Heaven and Earth are ready for Gods and Goddesses falling in love with Earthlings?" Keiichi asked.

"It's already started...with us." Belldandy answered. "It make take a while to catch on. But I believe that it's going to happen, sooner or later. And it's our responsibility to continue being the best example of how it can work. Now, quiet. Start paying up!"

One month later.

Slowly, life at the temple returned to normal, or as normal as it can get with four deities of very different temperaments living under one roof and getting in each others way.

It took a lot of begging and pleading, but Keiichi convinced Chihiro to rehire him as a mechanic at Whirlwind. It didn't hurt that his replacements, Tamiya and Ootaki, were good and thorough workers, but constantly left the shop looking like an earthquake disaster area when they left for the day. Actually, Chihiro was ready to hire Keiichi back as soon as she saw him walk through the door for the first time in six months, but she couldn't resist dangling the job before Keiichi like a piece of meat before a hungry dog, and watching him grovel.

Through his work at Whirlwind and picking up a couple more part-time jobs, Keiichi was able to pay off the delinquent bills, and get the utilities restored.

Belldandy helped also with her part-time job, although she didn't have nearly as many problems trying to find a gig. If anything, she had any number of jobs to choose from, with employers willing to pay her as much as she wanted. She decided to go back to Whirlwind to work as a shop assistant so she could always be near Keiichi.

Because Kei and Bell were gone for so long, they had to make up a story to tell their friends and loved ones to cover up the fact that they were in Heaven, in case anybody asked. They settled on the alibi that they had gone on a long vacation to the United States.

Which was clearly not true because anyone who knew Keiichi knew that at any given time he barely had enough money to get to Tokyo, much less fly to the States. And to make sure that Belldandy wasn't implicated in telling such an obvious lie, Keiichi was the one who put forth the excuse to anyone who asked.

Because strangely enough, while First Class Goddesses were not supposed to lie, the ban didn't extend to First Class Gods.

Skuld and Sentaro got back together. And they finally had that first kiss.

Urd is still, and always shall be...Urd.

Lind stayed around the temple for another month. She went on numerous outings with Keiichi and Belldandy, worked out constantly, and ate a lot of chocolate ice cream. She also took some joy in flirting with Keiichi, which insured that he would be making it up to Belldandy for a very long time. Not that he was complaining.

Lind enjoyed her time on Earth immensely, and it was with heavy hearts and some tears that she left the temple to resume her duties in Heaven. It's safe to say that the Valkyries will never be the same.

Megumi and Hiro Yoshida continued to date. Their relationship became deeper and more serious as the days and months went along. One thing that Meg discovered was that unlike most Japanese men, Hiro was a surprisingly good cook. So her daily trips to the temple to mooch a home-cooked meal became more and more infrequent, although she popped in from time to time to make sure that Belldandy didn't worry about her too much.

Tamiya and Ootaki finally decided to move on with their lives, having gotten master's degrees in auto mechanics, which was odd because Nekomi Tech didn't actually offer a graduate degree in that field. The faculty and staff had gotten so tired of the brutes' antics, that they made an exception and issued the two their diplomas and ushered them off campus before they could inflict more carnage.

And finally...Sora Hasegawa was still trying to figure out how to get more students to join the Motor Club.

**EPILOGUE**

Sayoko Mishima woke up one brisk fall morning in her luxury penthouse suite atop one of her father's palatial apartment buildings. At 31 stories, it was the tallest in Nekomi City. She slept alone in a queen sized water bed under the finest 500-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Her pillow was stuffed with the softest goose down. She wore custom hand-made lingerie cut to her exact specifications. Her wardrobe came from the hottest bleeding edge designers, and had prices to match.

Every year, her father bought her the latest Mercedes-Benz luxury sports car, costing well into six figures.

With Belldandy no longer attending NIT, Sayoko easily regained her coveted title of Queen of Nekomi Tech. And to make up for lost time, she lorded it over any and everyone who stood still long enough to listen. She was a senior in college, her grades were top-notch, and upon graduation, she was poised to waltz right into an executive vice-president position within the Mishima Group.

The recent merger of her father's company, and the Aoshima Conglomerate insured that Sayoko and her cousin, Toshiyuki Aoshima, would be positioned to be the co-CEO's of the largest and most powerful corporation in Japan within ten years. The future was looking bright for the Queen of Nekomi Tech.

Sayoko put on an power business suit designed to not only accentuate her buff physique, but also sent the message that she could buy or sell any of the people who worked for her a dozen times over, and not lose a moment of sleep.

On her feet, she wore the latest pumps custom made from a top-shelf designer that she retained for the specific purpose of making shoes for her and no one else.

Even though she could easily afford a maid to lay out an appropriate outfit for her, she refused, because she didn't want a commoner to touch her clothing or make decisions about what she wanted to wear.

She entered her private elevator which only stopped at her apartment and the lobby, insuring that she didn't have to interact with the 'working people.'

As she left the elevator, Sayoko walked into a spacious lobby decked out in the finest Italian marble. The atrium of the lobby was decorated with trees and greenery not found anywhere in Japan, and the company hired the staff from those countries to maintain it. The couches and chairs were upholstered in buttery soft black leather. Statues and sculptures specially commissioned for the building were artfully arranged for maximum visibility to let visitors know that they were in a building whose owners fitted out with price being no object. Sayoko personally oversaw the construction of the atrium, and every object in it was picked out by her.

With practiced routine, as soon as the doorman saw Sayoko leave the elevator, he summoned the valet to have her car waiting at the entrance, so all she had to do once she got outside, was jump into her car and drive away. Sayoko detested waiting. And she fired more than a few doormen and valets because the peons were as little as 10 seconds late getting her car to the door. She had no problem showing the little people their place.

As she passed the front desk, the receptionist handed her the day's mail. Sayoko grabbed it without slowing down or acknowledging the existence of the receptionist at all. She rifled through the mail. It included virtually unobtainable invitations to the biggest, most exclusive society bashes, which she immediately discarded because she figured that anyone who would use the mail to invite her to a party wasn't worth the paper their invitation was printed on. The real movers and shakers had her private cellphone number.

There were a couple of bills for some of her more extravagant expenses which she also tossed because if there was one thing that anyone who dealt with the heiress knew, it was that Sayoko Mishima doesn't pay bills. That's what the company was for. And if those who billed her weren't smart enough to figure that out, they weren't worth the Mishima family's business.

There were a few other assorted letters, but they weren't worth her time, so she pitched them.

Even though she passed a half dozen trash cans on her way to the front door, Sayoko dropped the unwanted mail on the floor without breaking stride. She figured that in her own small way, she was helping Japan's unemployment problem, by making sure that the janitors had plenty of work to do. Never let it be said that Sayoko Mishima didn't have a heart for the little people.

There was only one envelope left. It bore an address that was familiar to her. Although she hadn't dealt with the occupants of that address in a while. While Sayoko was contemplating tossing the offending piece of mail aside, Something told her that she should open it.

**Miss Sayoko Mishima,**

**You are cordially invited to **

**the Wedding of **

**Goddess First Class Belldandy **

**and**

**Mr. Keiichi Morisato.**

**Tuesday, December 25, 2012 2:00pm.**

**Tarikihongan Temple**

**Nekomi City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.**

**The End.**

**Afterword**

**Writing the three stories of the Tea Room series has been a joy. As I write these words, I am tearing up. I have learned so much about writing and telling a story. And I won't forget the time spent in putting these stories together for anyone who wants to read them. **

**For now, Eye of Heaven is the final story in this series as I start planning to compose an original work with my own characters and world.**

**As you can see, I did end the story with a wedding invitation, and I am thinking about putting out a very short piece, no more than 50 pages or so, about the upcoming nuptials of our favorite God and Goddess. But that is conditional on the response from the fan fiction community that reads and offers feedback on this work. If enough people have read these pieces and feel strongly enough about them to tell me they want more, I'll consider it. **

**Pierre Wheaton**

**Pittsburgh, PA.**

**CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS **

**Once again. Thanks to the Communications Skills and Creative Writing staffs of the Community College of Allegheny County and Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA for awakening the creative muse within me. Thanks to those folks on the Goddess Relief Office and for reading this stuff and thinking that it was worth their time to read and offer constructive feedback. And finally, a huge thanks to Kosuke Fujishima-sensei for giving us fanfic writers such a rich set of characters to play around with. It's been a helluva ride. **


End file.
